The new Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program successfully launched its first cohort, drawing 34 adults from across the U.S. Students receive four months of intense, hands-on training in one of the following areas: CNC machining, welding and metrology.
Instructor Brian Penny of DCC advises a student preparing to weld.
“I enjoy hands-on learning, and having a background in machining made me want to continue,” said Samuel Hyler, an ATDM CNC machining student. “The program touches on things that a regular credit program wouldn’t. I am excited…to learn as much as I can.”
ATDM, designed to serve as a national training model, has enrolled various students from veterans to newly hired and incumbent workers in the first classes. They hail from seven states around the U.S., including Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Indiana, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina.
ATDM is a pilot project funded through the CORNERSTONE OTA National Imperative for Industrial Skills initiative of the U.S. Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program Office. It addresses critical skill gaps for the defense industrial base with an initial focus on naval shipbuilding.
“ATDM equips U.S. defense manufacturers with the high-quality talent they need while flexing the robust training programs our region celebrates,” said Mark Gignac of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), leader of the program. “Troy Simpson, his team and partners DCC, Phillips Corporation and the Spectrum Group have built a phenomenal prototype training model ready for replication.”
Thanks to funding, initial cohorts benefit from no-cost tuition as well as scholarships for housing. Danville Community College (DCC) provides the advanced curriculum and high-tech training space. Hampton Wilkins of Wilkins & Co. Realtors helped secure housing, and Donnie Hall of Furniture Depot helped furnish the apartments. The next cohort in November adds additive manufacturing. Visit atdm.org for details.
