A veteran of the U.S. Marines.

A recent high school graduate.

A mom with multiple teenage children who felt stuck in her career prospects.

A man with decades of career experience looking for something more stable and meaningful.

A recent college graduate looking to gain more hand-on experience.

What do they all have in common?

They were all initially skeptical when they first heard about Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM), a four-month training program with scholarships for tuition and housing that equips learners with the skills for high-demand manufacturing careers. But each of them, along with a total of more than 1,100 adults from across the U.S., is embarking on a successful defense manufacturing career after completing the four-month prototype program led by and housed at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR).

ATDM is expanding the manufacturing talent pool by opening career doors for individuals from various career backgrounds.

“ATDM is a viable option for anyone looking for a meaningful career, whether you’re fresh out of high school, have a college degree or have decades of experience in another field,” said Telly Tucker, President of IALR.

A Mission Born of Urgency

The U.S. Navy faces a monumental challenge: to meet production goals for submarines, aircraft carriers and other naval vessels, an estimated 10,000 skilled trades professionals must enter the Maritime Industrial Base (MIB) every year for the next decade. Traditional pipelines can’t scale fast enough.

That’s where ATDM comes in.

Launched as a pilot program and now scaling up to full operational capacity, ATDM compresses years of training into a 16-week, 600-hour program that prepares adults—the majority of whom have no prior manufacturing experience—for immediate employment.

Students train in one of five high-demand tracks: Welding, CNC Machining, Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), Additive Manufacturing and Quality Control Inspection (Metrology).

The model is simple yet powerful:

  • Cost barriers removed: Tuition, housing, equipment and books are covered.
  • Fast and focused: ATDM cuts out all the extra fluff, giving students the needed skills in just four months.
  • Readiness: The structure, discipline and experience of the program equips students with the soft skills and mentality to succeed in their new careers.
  • Industry integration: Employers help shape curriculum and hire graduates at private career fairs.

With the opening of the more than 100,000-square-foot ATDM Maritime Training Center in Danville, Virginia, ATDM will train approximately 1,000 students annually, starting in 2027. This training happens across three shifts.

ATDM Results:
  • More than 80% of students complete the program. The national average completion of traditional workforce training programs is approximately 60% for certificate programs and 40% for 2-year degrees
  • Almost 90% of graduates are hired into the defense manufacturing sector within 30 days of program completion. With staggered cohorts, defense manufacturing companies have talent available every eight weeks.

Inside the Maritime Training Center on IALR’s campus, you’ll see a mix of learners: a veteran sharpening metrology skills beside a former restaurant manager learning CNC machining, or a recent high school graduate running a lathe next to a parent seeking a second chance.

Meeting Every Learner Where They Are

“ATDM is as much about changing individuals’ lives and career outlooks as it is about supporting national defense and ship and submarine production,” said Jason Wells, Executive Vice President of Manufacturing Advancement at IALR.

The program attracts a unique cross-section of Americans, with students coming from 48 states and different walks of life.

ATDM Completers by Age:

  • 18-21: 32%
  • 22-30: 27%
  • 31-40: 25%
  • 41+: 15%
  • Not Indicated: 1%

The ATDM curriculum and experience were designed to effectively serve students from vastly different backgrounds—some fresh out of high school, others with decades of experience—while maintaining a clear, rigorous standard.

“ATDM instruction is delivered in a methodical, progressive way,” said Wells. “We use steppingstones to take a student from zero to solid foundational skills. That way, industry knows exactly what to expect and where to engage in on-the-job training, which shortens the time to talent and delivers predictable results.”

Philip Bowers, an NDT instructor, said the wide range of experience in each class requires careful planning.

“You have to find that happy medium where you aren’t talking down to people or treating anyone like they don’t belong,” he said.

Extra homework, assignments and tutoring sessions are available to all students to ensure that those who need additional support can keep up with the accelerated pace.

Beyond the instruction, another unique element of ATDM that ensures every student can succeed: comprehensive support and wrap-around services, including:

  • Furnished housing
  • Transportation to and from class
  • Career preparation like resume and interview coaching and industry connections
  • Arranged industry interactions with two on-site career fairs per cohort and a steady stream of industry tours

The ATDM team also helps connect students who have needs to relevant resources and organizations that address food insecurity, medical care and more. To foster camaraderie among learners and enhance the overall experience, community engagement activities enable students to give back to the host community of Southern Virginia.

“From the instruction and curriculum to all the ancillary services that are offered, ATDM was strategically designed to meet committed learners where they are and give them the tools to succeed.” – Karen Hardy, ATDM Director, Cross Functional Initiatives, IALR

 

Stories of Transformation

A Mother’s Leap of Faith

At 37, Michelle Cruz felt stuck after years in various jobs like retail and driving a school bus.

She decided to give ATDM a chance and completed the non-destructive testing track.

AGE 37
FROM Kings Bay, Georgia
ATDM TRACK Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)
COMPLETION DATE October 2025
CURRENT EMPLOYER Trident Refit Facility

 

“I went into ATDM very insecure of myself and unsure of my place in the world,” Cruz said.

ATDM, and particularly the NDT instructors, helped her gain confidence in her skill set and employability. Cruz has begun the onboarding process at Trident Refit Facility in Georgia as an NDT Inspector in Training. In this entry-level NDT position, she will earn significantly more than in any of her previous jobs.

“If you’ve got nothing going for you, you’ve got four months. What else do you have to lose?” she said. “What you can gain out of this program is a whole new perspective and a whole new career.”

Spending months away from her family was difficult for Cruz, who brought her two teenage kids for the final weeks to help her finish strong.

Her significant other, Matthew, calls the program “absolutely worth it” for families who can deal with the temporary separation.

“If you can sustain for four months for that person to go to school and then get a career afterwards for what they’re going for, it’s absolutely well worth it,” he said. “It was a challenge, but we all worked together to make up for that loss.”

A Veteran’s Second Mission

Will Kaisen shouldn’t be here.

While deployed in Iraq, the Marine Corps veteran was shot in the back of the head by an enemy sniper in 2006. He lost his rifle. Rolled down a hill. Became separated from his only teammate. And somehow, thanks to a Kevlar helmet, he survived.

As a result, Will was medically discharged, an abrupt end to his military career.

AGE 39
FROM Blakeslee, PA
ATDM TRACK CNC Machining
COMPLETION DATE July 2025
CURRENT EMPLOYER CIRCOR

 

After years of searching and time in contracting, finance and HVAC, an email from Veterans Affairs led him to ATDM.

Will completed the CNC track in July and now works at CIRCOR near Charlotte, North Carolina.

“For veterans, this is our chance to contribute again, only in a different way,” he said.

His entire CNC class had already secured job offers by the time they completed the program, a testament to ATDM’s career services and employer partnerships.

“Once you get here, they take the thought process out of it,” Will said. “They’ve really thought of everything.”

 

Experience Meets Opportunity

Thomas Hardin, 44, had decades of career experience but wanted something more.

After nearly a decade in non-destructive testing (NDT) in the oil and gas industry, he wanted stability and growth.

“I’ve been traveling on the road for nine years, and I really wanted a place to settle down,” he said.

AGE 44
FROM Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
ATDM TRACK Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)
COMPLETION DATE October 2025
CURRENT EMPLOYER Rolls-Royce

 

He found ATDM through a Reddit thread and enrolled in the NDT track.

“Within the first week or two, I learned techniques that made me more confident,” he said.

Today, Hardin is preparing to start at Rolls-Royce in Kingsville Naval Air Station, inspecting jet engines.

“ATDM gave me exactly what I was looking for: a chance to settle down and do work I’m proud of.”

Turning a Degree into a Career

Chiara Abreo came to ATDM with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering but little hands-on experience.

“We only touched on CNC in one course,” she said.

Through the BuildSubmarines.com website, Abreo discovered ATDM, specifically the CNC Machining track. The program provided her with the hands-on machining experience she was seeking.

“In four months, we became really confident with G-Code and M-Code and running basic programs and designs with the mill and the lathe,” she said.

AGE 25
FROM Freehold, NJ
ATDM TRACK CNC Machining
COMPLETION DATE September 2025
CURRENT EMPLOYER Maag Gala

 

Abreo now works as a Die Plate Designer at Maag Gala in Eagle Rock, Virginia, combining her engineering background with the CNC and shop-floor insight she gained during ATDM.

“I have both points of view, which will allow me to contribute to better design and communication,” she said. “ATDM opened my eyes to shop floor designing and helped me know what the design engineers have to do while creating the blueprints.”

She credits ATDM’s job fair for connecting her with Maag Gala and says the program filled a critical gap.

From Hospitality to Welding

Like most students who come to ATDM, Mychal Carter, 33, made a pivot out of non-manufacturing job experience. He had held various jobs, including work in warehouses, masonry and the hospitality industry, but he wasn’t entirely satisfied.

After repeated Instagram ads for the program, Mychal decided to give ATDM a shot.

He completed the welding track in October of 2024, earning 10 qualifications and landing his dream job at Keel in Charleston, South Carolina.

AGE 33
FROM North Falmouth, MA
ATDM TRACK Welding
COMPLETION DATE October 2025
CURRENT EMPLOYER Keel

 

“This program from the beginning was an incredible opportunity,” he said.

Carter started out working in beveling with Keel and plans to become a welder with the company soon. Coming in, Carter earns more than he had previously earned in any of his other roles and is excited to continue developing and growing in the industry.

He describes the thorough and comprehensive instructional support for all students, especially those with no prior experience, as “extraordinary.”

“My instructors were very thorough,” he said. “They still expected the best from me, but they also understood that I hadn’t picked up a welding stick before and this would be a curve.”

From High School Graduate to Instructor

Daniel Hyler graduated from high school on a Friday in 2021. He got a call on Saturday about an opening in a brand-new program called ATDM. He signed up as part of the first CNC Machining cohort, starting just a few days later.

AGE 22
FROM Chatham, Virginia
ATDM TRACK CNC Machining and Additive Manufacturing
COMPLETION DATE March 2022
CURRENT EMPLOYER ATDM – Additive Manufacturing Instructor

After working in industry – and even completing the additive manufacturing track while working with a local company – he returned to the program to support future students. Hyler has worked as an Additive Manufacturing Technician, an Instructor for the Naval Aviation School for Additive Manufacturing (a six-week additive manufacturing course for active-duty military personnel) and now as one of the ATDM Additive Manufacturing instructors.

“My education and career are so intertwined with ATDM and ultimately the Navy,” he said. “I started as a kid fresh out of high school. Now I’m teaching the next generation of technicians.”

Hyler said that completing ATDM, along with time spent in industry, was the perfect way to prepare to teach the program. From Hyler’s perspective as a former student and instructor, it’s the support systems and wrap-around services that allow ATDM students from every walk of life to succeed.

“We have the support systems built in place, like tutoring or extra assignments, extra homework, that allow anyone who may be slower at learning to learn at the same pace as someone who’s accelerated.”

Everyone Can Succeed in ATDM

ATDM proves that with immersive training, wrap-around support and industry partnerships, Americans from any background can become mission-critical technicians in just 16 weeks.

For employers, it’s a growing pipeline of previously untapped skilled talent.

For students, it’s a life-changing opportunity to enter a new, rewarding career path.

And for the nation, it’s a model for meeting urgent workforce needs, one motivated career-seeker at a time.