Philly Shipyard Hires 13 PIDC Workforce Development Program Graduates

PIDC and University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative is thrilled to announce that we graduated and placed 14 program participants from our second Navy Yard Workforce Development Initiatives training program today!  These participants completed the three-week Shipyard Laborer Program in partnership with Philly Shipyard Inc. and 13 were extended a job offer for full-time permanent employment in the government and commercial shipbuilding industry starting at $14.00/hour.

We partnered with Navy Yard company Philly Shipyard, Inc., a leading U.S. shipbuilder presently pursuing a mix of commercial and government work, ranging from shipbuilding to repair and maintenance, who had a large hiring need due to National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV) contracts. Over 220 applications were submitted, more than 100 applicants were invited to interview, and just 17 people were accepted into the program. With the placement of 14 participants, the job placement rate for this program is 93%!

The Shipyard Laborer Program is designed to connect participants to the professional and technical training, tools, and supports needed to build a meaningful career at Philly Shipyard. This three-week program included 37+ hours of in-person training and coaching using the classroom space at Penn State at the Navy Yard, 10 hours of safety training to earn an OSHA-10 certification, 4 hours of basic life support and CPR training, and one worksite visit touring the Philly Shipyard campus and meeting with the staff. 

This program the second of four collaborative professional development training programs managed by West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI) and PIDC’s Navy Yard Workforce Development Initiatives (NYWDI) to train Philadelphia residents for permanent, full-time, quality-wage careers at the Navy Yard. We are looking forward to many more successful programs connecting Philadelphians to life changing careers.