By Jesse Bunch, Philadelphia Inquirer
As President Donald Trump’s administration calls for a nationwide shipbuilding boom that would see the military’s fleet better compete with geopolitical rivals, Philadelphia’s shipyard aims to expand production and hire hundreds of local welders.
The recently passed “One Big Beautiful Bill” suggests eliminating the federal agency making that goal possible.
A tuition-free, grant-funded training program for trade workers at local community colleges is helping Hanwha — the Korean company that purchased the South Philadelphia shipyard last year — recruit would-be welders who will help the facility double its workforce in coming years, managers say.
The program from former President Joe Biden’s administration, dubbed the Good Jobs Challenge, is part of the Economic Development Administration’s sweeping initiative to train the nation’s workforce in high-demand, critical industries and bolster regional economies.
If the White House succeeds in its stated goal of defunding the EDA, however, the future of such workforce development programs is uncertain.
The proposal comes as Philadelphia faces a growing shortage of welders, and local workforce leaders say cuts could leave the city’s next generation of trade workers behind.
“We are concerned,” said Patrick Clancy, president and CEO of Philadelphia Works, the region’s top workforce board. “The Trump administration needs to realize if we want to bring all this stuff back into the United States around manufacturing, we need skilled people.”
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