Navy Maritime Industrial Base Partnership
How a Workforce Partnership Is Connecting Classrooms to Manufacturing Careers
Key Metrics
When the U.S. Navy needed to strengthen the pipeline of skilled workers, they started with teachers.
Through a three-year partnership with Battelle Education, 45 educators in Ohio and Michigan have completed industry externships with submarine-supply-chain employers. They’ve walked factory floors, met engineers and machinists, and returned to their classrooms with real-world problems for students to solve.
The results, validated by an external evaluation from ICF, show what happens when professional development connects directly to workforce needs:
Number of students in a single school year were introduced to high-skill manufacturing careers—careers many had never considered.
Percent of participating teachers now feel confident explaining manufacturing career pathways to students. Before the program, that number was 20%.
Percent of educators reported increased student engagement in STEM and problem-based learning.
This isn’t a pilot. It’s a model—one that demonstrates how strategic investment in teacher learning creates measurable workforce impact.
For funders and industry partners exploring similar challenges, the partnership offers a playbook: meet teachers where they are, immerse them in real work environments, and trust them to bring that knowledge back to students.
Interested in building a workforce-aligned partnership?
Contact us to start a conversation.
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