Sen. Vitelli tours Bath Iron Works main shipyard, celebrates Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan grant
BATH — On Wednesday, March 1, Sen. Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, toured the Bath Iron Works (BIW) main shipyard, where shipbuilders are constructing Flight IIA DDG Arleigh Burke class destroyers and preparing to build Flight III DDG Arleigh Burke class destroyers. On the same day, Gov. Janet T. Mills announced that BIW is receiving a $750,000 grant to address workforce transportation challenges by supporting carpools and vanpools for employees, public transportation options in the region and multi-mode parking amenities.
“Each time I visit BIW, I am deeply impressed by the skills that these hardworking men and women – three-quarters of whom belong to a union – display while they build world-class destroyers for the U.S. Navy,” said Sen. Vitelli. “For 130 years, BIW has been an iconic institution not just in the City of Ships – but also in the entire state of Maine. At a time when Maine is confronting child care, housing, transportation and workforce challenges, BIW has joined with local partners to find solutions that benefit its employees who want to live, work and raise a family right here.”
As part of the tour, Sen. Vitelli visited the Trades Learning Center where she saw demonstrations of the augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology that helps train newer, younger BIW workers. This technology trains new hires how to operate a forklift and a crane and weld – before the workers use the actual machines and equipment. During the tour, Sen. Vitelli walked through several ship assembly warehouses, where BIW workers were blasting, painting and welding components of the hulls and masts for the destroyers. Outside the warehouses, Sen. Vitelli saw the U.S.S. Carl Levin, which was named after former U.S. Senator Carl Levin, D-MI, docked in the Kennebec River.
BIW has seven facilities in the Bath area and currently employs nearly 7,000 shipbuilders. Over the next five years, BIW plans to hire 600 to 800 additional employees each year. BIW is the fourth-largest private employer in Maine, and it employs Mainers from all 16 counties, including 1,903 residents of Sagadahoc County. Within Sagadahoc County, 605 shipbuilders live in Bath, 289 in Topsham, 206 in Richmond, 160 in Bowdoin and 119 in West Bath. As of 2021, BIW supports 300 Maine-based suppliers, and BIW accounts for 12 percent of Maine’s total manufacturing workforce.
The Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan grant is part of the Workforce Transportation Pilot Program, an initiative that supports local and regional pilot projects that connect workers to employers through ridesharing, vanpools and other transit options. Applications for Workforce Transportation Pilot Program grants remain open. There is no application deadline, but applicants are encouraged to submit projects as soon as possible. Approximately $3 million remains to be awarded through the program. For more information on how to apply, visit https://www.maine.gov/mdot/grants/mjrp/workforce/.
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