University City District’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI) and PIDC’s Navy Yard Skills Initiative (NYSI) are cooperating again to train Philadelphia residents for full-time, quality-wage careers with employer partner Philly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI). This is the second partnership with PSI following a successful program in September 2021 that resulted in more than a dozen program graduates receiving offers to join PSI in laborer positions.

This new program will allow graduates to interview for competitive union apprentice positions with PSI. The three-year competency program accepts candidates with little or no experience and trains them to be multi-skilled employees that can participate in the future success of Philly Shipyard. Apprentices with PSI are considered full-time employees and paid to learn skills like shipbuilding and welding while earning college credits.

Training sessions will be held in-person at the Navy Yard and will include OSHA-10 – General Industry Safety Certification, Basic Life Support/CPR certification, professional coaching, and exposure to the government and commercial shipbuilding industry.

Applications for the program are accepted through Friday, March 11. To be eligible, applicants must be current residents of Philadelphia, possess a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent, and provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination by March 3. Program participants are expected to commit to a full training schedule from March 28 through April 15.

Additional details and an online application can be found at www.navyyard.org/workforce/jobs.