by Navy Yard
January 3, 2023
Categories: Cool Jobs, News, Tenants, Workforce Development,
Governor Tom Wolf made an announcement December 30, 2022, that Rhoads Industries, Inc. (Rhoads) is set to receive $400,000 in funding to help strengthen its workforce development program and meet the production needs it has at the Navy Yard.
Founded in 1896, Rhoads has grown from a small fabrication shop to a leader in industrial fabrication, installation, maintenance services and facilities for commercial and government customers. Rhoads maintains more than 300,000 square feet of industrial manufacturing facilities at the Navy Yard.
From the official press release:
Governor Tom Wolf announced $400,000 in funding for Rhoads Industries to bolster a program that brings awareness to careers and opportunities within the state’s manufacturing industry and supports companies in identifying and training a skilled workforce through targeted programs and service.
“It’s crucial that we make strong investments in programs like this one that bolster Pennsylvania’s manufacturing industry and help ensure its strong and vibrant future,” said Gov. Wolf. “This program through Rhoads Industries will help grow the workforce in the area and maintain a strong pipeline of skilled manufacturers for many years to come.”
Rhoads Industries was awarded $400,000 through Pennsylvania’s Manufacturing Training-to-Career (MTTC) program to enhance their regional workforce development program in southeastern Pennsylvania. The program, in partnership with the U.S. Navy Shipbuilding Industrial Task Force and the Project Executive Office of the Columbia Class Submarine program, will address pipelines and critical trade skills needed to further advance the U.S. Navy’s priorities of labor force recruitment, development, and retention.
“Rhoads Industries is thrilled to continue advancing and supporting the Navy’s mission of developing workforce growth in our Philadelphia facility,” said Trish Conti, Manager of Workforce Development, Rhoads Industries. “The extension of this program will greatly assist Rhoads and other critical suppliers in the region by accelerating significant trainings, establishing pipelines and creating a mechanism for ramping up the critical manufacturing infrastructure needed for Naval targeted growth”
Governor Wolf’s Manufacturing PA initiative was launched in October 2017 and since then has funded 87 projects and invested more than $18.4 million through the MTTC program.
Training-to-Career grants support projects that result in short-term work-readiness, job placement, or the advancement of manufacturing. The Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career Grant program works collaboratively with local manufacturers to identify and teach missing essential skills for entry-level applicants seeking manufacturing employment, engage youth or those with barriers to career opportunities in manufacturing, and or advance capacity for local or regional manufacturers.