MIDDLETOWN, RI – U.S. Senator Jack Reed today joined with SENEDIA, the Alliance for Defense Tech, Talent, and Innovation, to announce a four-year, $98.3 million contract, if all options are exercised, from the U.S. Department of Defense to continue to advance workforce development in the New England submarine industrial base. This Follow-On Production Agreement (FPA) is a continuation of an August 2020 award and can support the trades and industrial skills training of more than 8,600 candidates through 2029.

Across New England, the defense sector supports more than 407,000 jobs and $40 billion in income.

“This announcement is great news that recognizes the progress we’ve made and further solidifies submarine production as an engine for economic growth in Rhode Island and the region for years to come. I worked with SENEDIA to create and champion this skills-development workforce pipeline from the very beginning to train Rhode Islanders for these critical, good-paying jobs that contribute significantly to our nation’s defense. It has grown across New England because the program works, and the need is that great. This is a smart investment in hardworking people that expands opportunity, creates desirable career paths, and strengthens our economy and the nation’s Maritime Industrial Base,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed, the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The 2020 award – which grew from an initial award of $18.6 to $78.4 million total by its completion in October 2025 – facilitated training for over 8,600 new and incumbent workers. It also supported outreach to more than 6,000 people, from grade school students to under and unemployed adults, about the high-skill, high-wage career opportunities in the submarine industrial base.

That work will continue through this FPA, thanks to SENEDIA’s New England Submarine Shipbuilding Partnership. The Partnership directs resources and opportunities towards the economic and workforce development of the region’s maritime industrial base.

“The New England Submarine Shipbuilding Partnership today includes regional suppliers and stakeholders from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, allowing SENEDIA to effectively mobilize the supply chain and connect them with the pipeline of skilled workers for today and tomorrow,” said SENEDIA Chief Executive Officer Molly Donohue Magee. “From K-12 education to skilled training to career placement, SENEDIA works across the workforce continuum to reinforce New England’s role as the epicenter of submarine shipbuilding.”

The contract is with the Department of Defense Innovation Capability and Modernization Office, executed through the Cornerstone Other Transaction Authority Agreement, with technical support from the U.S. Navy Maritime Industrial Base program office.

“The New England Submarine Shipbuilding Partnership plays an important role in strengthening the region’s ability to support the Navy’s submarine programs,” said Matt Sermon, Direct Reporting Program Manager for the Maritime Industrial Base Program. “This work helps expand access to training and connect more people to the careers required to build and sustain the undersea fleet our nation depends on.”

In addition to industry suppliers and stakeholders, the Partnership includes a regional training network of 10 partners at community colleges, universities, and training facilities.

“SENEDIA training programs have prepared thousands of employees for rewarding careers in shipbuilding at Electric Boat,” said Mark Rayha, president of General Dynamics Electric Boat. “To provide the U.S. Navy with the Virginia and Columbia-class submarines our nation needs, we must continue to grow and develop our workforce, and our continued partnership with SENEDIA is important to our success in that effort.”

SENEDIA also supports career and technical education programs across Connecticut and Rhode Island, growing the annual pipeline of K-12 candidates from a dozen in 2021 to over 200 in 2025. The retention of these CTE graduates is significantly higher than general new hires. Under the FPA, SENEDIA is expanding this support to Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire.

“SENEDIA is proud to support the New England submarine shipbuilding supply chain and help train the next generation of submarine shipbuilders with the skills and experiences they need to be successful in the workforce,” said SENEDIA Director of Operations Tim Fox, who oversees the program. “Our experience over the past five years will accelerate this work moving forward, in support of our national security.”