Evidence from credible sources supports the statement as accurate. Learn more in Methodology.
The Department of Labor has obligated nearly $14 million in funding, including $8 million to Delaware County Community College and $5.8 million to Massachusetts Maritime Academy, specifically for shipbuilding workforce training program development.
MarineLink reports that the U.S. Department of Labor "announced the award of nearly $14 million in funding" to support development of programs to reinvigorate the U.S. maritime industry and workforce, specifying that $8 million went to Delaware County Community College and $5.8 million to Massachusetts Maritime Academy to train the next generation of American shipbuilders. Federal grant database aggregation site HigherGov shows Delaware County Community College receiving an $8,000,000 cooperative agreement (26K75IL000029) titled "Building the future: U.S. shipbuilding workforce expansion through global collaboration" from the Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs, focused on shipbuilding workforce and apprenticeship training. A separate HigherGov entry shows Massachusetts Maritime Academy receiving a $5,800,000 cooperative agreement (26K75IL000030), the "NextSeas Initiative: Transforming U.S. Shipbuilding Workforce," also funded by the Bureau of International Labor Affairs to address U.S. shipbuilding workforce shortages. These amounts total $13.8 million, accurately described as "nearly $14 million," and align with the Department’s earlier 2025 announcement of ILAB funding to develop the next generation of American shipbuilders. Verdict: True, because independent reporting and federal grant records consistently confirm that DOL awarded approximately $13.8 million—$8 million to Delaware County Community College and $5.8 million to Massachusetts Maritime Academy—for shipbuilding workforce training programs, matching the claim’s description and figures.