Joe Courtney: “A couple of weeks ago, on May 29, Grasso Tech, a career and technical secondary school located in Groton, Connecticut…”

“A couple of weeks ago, on May 29, Grasso Tech, a career and technical secondary school located in Groton, Connecticut, was the site of an extraordinary event, the Electric Boat High School Signing Day. Mr. Speaker, Electric Boat is a shipbuilding company over 100 years old, headquartered in Groton. It has a proud history of building submarines during World War I, World War II, and the Cold War, with a workforce of highly skilled men and women who have always answered our Nation's call to deliver perhaps the most complex platform in our Nation's arsenal. These technological wonders operate in an environment that does not support human life, with stealth and power unmatched by any other peer nation. Today, in 2024, the shipyard is experiencing another historic period of workforce growth. EB is the general contractor for both of the Navy submarine programs, the Virginia-class attack submarines and the Columbia ballistic submarine program. Both programs represent an effort authorized and funded by Congress to recapitalize our Nation's aging submarine fleet, which is in high demand driven by a high tempo of operations all across the globe. In 2023, EB hired a staggering 5,300 new workers in the metal trades and engineering and plans to double that number in 2024.…”