Expanding Michigan’s Skilled Trade Training Pipeline for Maritime Manufacturing

Macomb Community College received the resources to stand up and expand accelerated welding and CNC training capacity in Michigan, creating a durable pipeline for maritime manufacturing talent. The work combines capital upgrades, equipment purchases, and funded training delivery with a path to state-supported sustainment. The investment is focused on building regional workforce infrastructure, not in generating a one-time training surge.

The Problem & Opportunity

There was a need for specialized accelerated training pipelines in Michigan, anchored at Macomb Community College and based on ATDM curriculum for CNC machining and welding. The opportunity was to convert that need into sustained regional training capacity capable of producing significantly more skilled workers for industry demand.

Objective

Build a self-sustaining accelerated training capability in welding and CNC machining, expand student throughput, and train hundreds of participants while establishing long-term annual capacity.

Solution

The investment combined physical capacity expansion with program delivery. Macomb Community College received funding for equipment and infrastructure upgrades, including a facility suitable to enhance the program with higher output. The work also funded accelerated training delivery based on established curriculum for welding and CNC, while positioning the effort to transition to support from the State of Michigan after the funded period. These actions were intended to increase trainee output and build sustained training capacity.

Impact

• Delivered the full targeted equipment buildout, including CNC lathes, mills, and welding equipment, reaching 60 machines and equipment items by September 30, 2025.
• Created a state-backed pathway for sustainment after the funded training period ends in early 2027.
• Placed 22 individuals into the maritime industrial workforce as of September 30, 2025.
• Enrolled 113 individuals and trained 62 participants as of September 30, 2025, while issuing 151 credentials.
• Established a platform intended to support 240 trainees per year in combined welding and CNC capacity.

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About BlueForge Alliance

BlueForge Alliance (BFA) is the national nonprofit, neutral integrator whose mission is to reinvigorate the U.S. defense industrial base necessary to produce next generation capabilities in partnership with the U.S. Navy and Department of Defense. BFA is a critical partner in the U.S. Navy Submarine Industrial Base’s mission to ensure industry has the capability, capacity, and resilience to build and maintain America’s next generation of undersea platforms and to support international commitments under the AUKUS partnership. The organization’s team of experts in a variety of disciplines focus on addressing critical workforce, technology, and supplier development needs. BFA is headquartered in Bryan/College Station, Texas. For more information, visit www.BlueForgeAlliance.us.