我再问Gemini 2.5：
Does GD-BIW do that too?
Gemini 2.5回答:
Yes, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (GD-BIW) absolutely does this, employing a strategy very similar to its counterparts at Electric Boat and Newport News.
While BIW is primarily focused on building surface ships (like Arleigh Burke-class destroyers) rather than submarines, it faces the same workforce challenges and relies heavily on partnerships with high schools and local colleges to build its pipeline of skilled tradespeople.
Here are the key ways GD-BIW works with high schools and recent graduates for technical training:
• Partnerships with Community Colleges: BIW has a major partnership with the Maine Community College System, particularly Southern Maine Community College (SMCC). They offer free, short-term training programs for high school graduates (or those with a GED/HiSet) in specific trades.
• Welding Academy: This program is explicitly designed to train new welders, covering skills like stick and flux core welding, oxy-cutting, and plasma cutting.
• Manufacturing Technician Course: This course teaches foundational skills like blueprint reading, hand and power tool operation, and tack welding.
• Hiring Pipeline: Graduates of these programs are guaranteed an interview with BIW, creating a direct path from training to employment.
• Direct High School Engagement: BIW is actively involved in Maine's high schools.
• In-School Training Programs: The company has launched pilot programs, such as an eight-week training course at Wiscasset High School, to begin training students even before they graduate.
• Mobile Training: BIW uses a "Training Trailer" to visit high schools, career fairs, and community events across the state, offering hands-on demonstrations to promote shipbuilding careers.
• The BIW Apprentice School: Like the other shipyards, BIW runs a formal, four-year Apprentice School. This program, which requires a high school diploma or equivalent to apply, combines paid, on-the-job training in a specific trade (like welding, pipefitting, or machining) with college-level academic coursework, leading to an Associate of Science degree.
In short, all three major naval shipyards (GD-EB, HII-NNS, and GD-BIW) rely on a nearly identical strategy of partnering with state and local education systems to train the next generation of shipbuilders.
