Abstract applicant?s name: delaware county community college (dccc) title for the project: building the future: U.S. Shipbuilding workforce expansion through global collaboration purpose: the…

The Department of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs awarded a $24 million Cooperative Agreement to Delaware County Community College on December 31, 2025, under the International Labor Programs authority (CFDA 17.401) to develop workforce training and apprenticeship capacity in U.S. shipbuilding.

Delaware County Community College will create and implement the Southeastern Pennsylvania/International Shipbuilding Fellowship (SPISF), a training program based in the Philadelphia Navy Yard region in partnership with Hanwha Ocean, South Korea. The program will train at least 1,456 individuals with an 82 percent completion rate, including 24 participants in the international shipbuilding fellowship component. Target populations include high school students, traditional and non-traditional college students, dislocated workers, career-changers, incumbent workers, veterans, and international students authorized to work in the U.S. The college will expand shipbuilding-focused apprenticeship training and develop an internationally recognized curriculum designed for replication across the U.S. Expected outcomes include launch of the SPISF with 24 fellows and implementation of a transportation apprenticeship program training 500 apprentices annually by 2027 through a train-the-trainer model.

Performance runs through December 31, 2029, with work performed in South Korea and at the Philadelphia Navy Yard region location. The initial funding obligation is $24 million against the total request of $8 million, indicating committed multi-year funding beyond the initial award phase.

Abstract applicant?s name: delaware county community college (dccc) title for the project: building the future: U.S. Shipbuilding workforce expansion through global collaboration purpose: the purpose of this project is to create an international shipbuilding fellowship and training development program, based in the philadelphia navy yard region and partnership with hanwha ocean, south korea, that will expedite the training of a US shipbuilding workforce utilizing an expanded and newly developed internationally recognized curriculum. The project will provide training to at least 1,456 individuals (82% completion rate), with 24 individuals participating in the international shipbuilding fellowship component. This initiative will serve high school students, college students (traditional and non-traditional), dislocated workers, adults changing careers, incumbent workers, veterans, and international students authorized to work in the U.S. Total funding request: $8,000,000 activities to be performed: the project will achieve the following: 1) creation and implementation of the southeastern pennsylvania/international shipbuilding fellowship (spisf) delaware county community college (dccc) FOA-ilab-25-45 building the future: U.S. Shipbuilding workforce expansion through global collaboration 2 2) expansion of shipbuilding-focused apprenticeship training program and creation of an internationally recognized curriculum. 3) outreach and sharing of education, industry, and training opportunities that can be replicated across the U.S. Expected outcomes development and launch of the southeastern pennsylvania/international shipbuilding fellowship (spisf) with 24 participants. A train-the trainer model will then be implemented to increase outcomes. Creation and implementation of the transportation apprenticeship program, with 500 apprentices trained annually by 2027. Intended beneficiaries beneficiaries include: the U.S. Shipbuilding industry, shipbuilding apprentices, philadelphia navy yard region, communities colleges nationwide (with shipbuilding industry locations), dislocated workers. Subrecipient activities hanwha ocean will serve as the subrecipient and will provide the in-country (south korea) fellowship location and experience. Hanwha will leverage their industry shipbuilding and apprenticeship knowledge to partner with dccc to develop the new transportation apprenticeship on-the-job (OJT) training as well as the related technical instruction (RTI). Hanwha will serve as an employment partner.