Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM)

Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM): Building America’s Maritime Workforce, Fast

A single semester. 600 hours of training. Five critical trades.

The Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) Program takes adult learners from novice to mission-ready so the U.S. Navy and its suppliers can keep submarine and aircraft carrier production on schedule and on budget.

Why ATDM Exists

• 10,000+ new trades professionals are needed each year in U.S. Navy shipyards across the United States for at least the next decade.
• Traditional employment pipelines cannot scale that quickly.
• ATDM was designed to prepare trades professionals within four intensive months, then connect program graduates directly with employers.

What Our Trainees Have to Say…

“I had zero prior experience with welding. It’s still surreal to me that I’m getting ready to come out and start a new career path. I’m confident stepping out of ATDM.” – Ronald Green, 2025 ATDM Graduate

“ATDM gave me the knowledge and skill base to put something on the table, something I can be proud of.” – Will Debus, 2023 ATDM Graduate

“ATDM cuts out the fluff and puts you where you need to be.” – Alex Stricklin, 2022 ATDM Graduate

ATDM trainees have come from logistics, retail, food service and many other former careers. Military veterans have also found significant success in the program, which allows them to transition into a civilian job supporting the U.S. military.

The ATDM model works for complete beginners and seasoned professionals alike.

What Our Employers Have to Say

“The ATDM program is a game-changer and an opportunity for us to decrease our time to talent.” – Bobby Russell, BWX Technologies

“As a small business, when we need one or two machinists, we can’t take the time to build a program on our own. That’s the advantage of working with ATDM: the program is already stood up and we can cycle people through it. We’re more than satisfied with the people that we’ve hired. The quality of what you get here is different.” “It’s unusual in any industry to have a program like this, someone willing to say, ‘Hey, we’ll train your people for you, just send them down.’” – Ken Salphine, Graham Corporation

“It is very easy for us to quantify the time-to-talent difference, the advancement track that these folks get into, the retention numbers – it’s very easy for us to quantify those and show the difference that the ATDM program makes.” – Michael Cinque, Curtiss-Wright

What the Navy has to Say

“The ATDM program is tailored, it’s niche and it holds them to a higher standard. The students that come out of these programs are very well qualified.” – Erica Logan, Director of Workforce, Maritime Industrial Base Program

“ATDM is a great model for us.” – Jim Kilby, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, U.S. Navy

The Training Model

The ATDM training model is simple and powerful.

• 600 hours of intensive classroom instruction and hands-on lab assignments delivered in just over 16 weeks
• Industry recognized credentials (AWS, NIMS, ASNT, SME Additive, GD&T) earned along the way
• Private career fairs where employers meet ATDM graduates and hire on the spot
• Small Cohorts of Learners: Each class has 12 students paired with 12 pieces of equipment, one instructor and one technician, ensuring students get 1:1 time with the equipment and the instructional staff.

ATDM Maritime Training Center

During January 2025, ATDM officially opened its 100,000-square-foot Maritime Training Center (MTC), A state-of-the-art facility in operation 24/5 and enabling a three-shift training operation with an annual output of 800–1,000 graduates. The MTC positions Danville as a hub of U.S. Navy activity.

Paths Converge in Danville: A Diverse Student Body

While walking through the Maritime Training Center (MTC) on any given day, you’ll see recent high-school graduates striking their first arc beside a former restaurant manager learning a second career, a Navy veteran sharpening metrology skills and a conditional-hire recruit sponsored by a major shipbuilder who has never touched a caliper until week one.

This intentional mix is by design. ATDM opens doors to U.S citizens who once thought manufacturing was either not a viable career option or one that was out of reach.

Companies benefit, too. Companies that send hires through the program can cast a wider recruiting net, hire for attitude and rely on ATDM to supply the skills. Companies needing a steady stream of dependable, qualified talent can hire career-seeking graduates.

Strategic Partners

• IALR (contracted program administrator and host)
• Danville Community College (curriculum partner)
• Phillips Corporation (technology partner)
• The SPECTRUM Group (strategy partner)

The ATDM project is funded through the National Imperative for Industrial Skills initiative which was launched in 2020 by the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program Office (IBAS) in the office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.

Industry feedback loops ensure every syllabus update matches real time production needs at Newport News Shipbuilding, General Dynamics Electric Boat, Austal USA and hundreds of tier-two suppliers.