The Talent Pipeline Program is a US Navy initiative under the Maritime Industrial Base (MIB) program designed to address the critical shortage of skilled manufacturing workers needed to support and sustain the nation’s shipbuilding and defense industrial base. TPP provides participating employers with workforce development tools, coaching, and support to strengthen recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and retention efforts tailored to regional industry needs.

Fairbanks Morse Defense became TPP’s first Enterprise Employer, and today, all FMD business units participate in the program, which provides industry-specific resources and tools to attract and retain a new generation of skilled workers. Participation in the program has strengthened FMD’s local and national workforce by helping to recruit and support talented, purpose-driven individuals to join FMD in delivering innovative, mission-critical solutions to the US Navy, Coast Guard, and allied naval fleets. FMD employs over 1,400 people across the United States and more than 400 in Wisconsin.

Since launching in 2021, the TPP has helped facilitate the hiring of nearly 20,000 workers nationwide and increased first-year maritime industrial base retention rates to 71%, according to NAVSEA. The TPP now includes more than 618 employers and 140 academic partners.