Trilateral Partnership to Train U.S. Shipbuilding Experts

Macomb Community College, Michigan – July 23, 2024

In an exciting initiative to bolster America’s maritime workforce, the University of Michigan (UM), Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), and Seoul National University (SNU) have forged a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This collaborative effort aims to cultivate U.S. shipbuilding expertise through specialized training programs.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro unveiled the Michigan Maritime Manufacturing (M3) Initiative Monday at Macomb Community College. This federal, state, and local partnership is dedicated to rejuvenating the maritime industrial base workforce, with an initial focus on submarine production skillsets.

As mentioned in the Secretary’s remarks, the MoU underscores a commitment to education and innovation. It outlines plans for joint initiatives in marine engineering education, facilitated by UM’s Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering team and counterparts from Seoul National University.

Secretary of the Navy Del Toro highlighted the significance of this partnership in his address, emphasizing the pivotal role of world-class faculty and innovative curricula in developing marine engineers and naval architects essential to national security. 

As part of the agreement, HHI, UM, and SNU are committed to working together to establish an on-site training and education program at the HD Hyundai shipbuilding division in Ulsan, South Korea. This program will cultivate the knowledge and skills of Naval Professional Summer exchange students, SNU exchange students, and UM exchange students through immersive, on-site educational experiences in ship design, production, research and development, and experimentation.

In addition, all parties will collaborate to create an on-site educational program focusing on future core maritime technologies of mutual interest, fostering knowledge and skills in areas such as intelligent ships, smart shipyards, maritime decarbonization, and relevant AI-big data maritime issues.

Professors Page and McKenney attended the event on behalf of the Department, representing the efforts of many in making this happen, including Professors Singer and Collette. Professor Thomas McKenney expressed optimism about the partnership’s potential to catalyze further investments and opportunities within Michigan’s maritime sector, hinting at aspirations for future shipyard developments. Professor Page reflected on the educational value it brings to our students and how it enables the Secretary of the Navy’s call for a new Maritime Statecraft.

This initiative marks a pivotal step towards advancing U.S. capabilities in shipbuilding and underscores the transformative impact of international partnerships in education and industry.