The defense industrial base does not just need engineers and cybersecurity professionals. It needs welders. It needs electricians. It needs people who can work with massive steel structures, wire complex systems, and meet military specifications that leave no room for error.
Right now, the DIB is short an estimated 250,000 skilled trades professionals.
That gap is not theoretical. It shows up in hiring data. At the time of writing, there are 300+ open welding positions on ClearanceJobs, most at the Secret level, though all clearance levels are represented. There are also over 300 open electrician positions. The skilled trades are not a niche corner of the national security workforce. They are active, in demand, and central to mission execution.
In Philadelphia, Rhoads Industries offers a case study in how one company is responding to that demand. But the broader story is bigger than any single employer.
Growth in the Industrial Base Is Physical
Rhoads has been family owned for more than 130 years. About 20 years ago, the company entered the defense sector. At the time, it had roughly 150 employees in that sector. Today, it has grown to 650, with plans to reach 1,100 in the next three years and 1,500 within five.
That expansion includes a $100 million investment in a new facility in a dry dock, supported in part by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The physical growth is tied directly to Navy work, including fabrication of large submarine components that require high-precision, specialized welding.
This kind of growth reflects a broader trend inside the defense industrial base. As submarine production and sustainment demand increases, so does the need for skilled labor capable of meeting military standards. Facilities are expanding. Contracts are structured in long increments, often 10 years and repeatable, creating the potential for decades-long careers tied to Navy programs.
That stability is not insignificant in today’s labor market.
Apprenticeships Are Not an Afterthought
One of the more interesting elements in Philadelphia is how workforce development is structured. Rhoads has operated a joint apprenticeship with Boilermakers Local 19 since 2018, embracing a union training model in a sector where some companies have moved away from it.
First-year apprentices start at $25 per hour, or about $50,000 annually. By the time they reach journeyman status, pay moves into six figures. Training takes six to eight months in a hands-on environment before workers move into production roles, and all training is aligned to military specifications and certification requirements.
That model mirrors what is happening across portions of the industrial base. Employers are increasingly recruiting directly from high school career programs, CTE schools, and trade schools. In some cases, students are retrained from the ground up to meet defense standards. There is also growing recognition that outreach needs to begin earlier, even in middle school, to shift perceptions about careers in skilled trades.
The goal is not just hiring. It is building a repeatable pipeline.
Technology and Trades Are Not Opposites
It is easy to assume that welding and electrical work sit outside the innovation conversation. But advanced fabrication environments are blending hands-on skill with technology, including robotic welding systems and modern training centers staffed by dedicated instructors.
Precision welding for submarine components is not generic fabrication. It requires adherence to military specifications and the ability to pass certification standards that ensure safety and performance under extreme conditions. Workers are being trained not only to execute manual skills but to adapt as technology evolves.
That pattern is visible across the industrial base. The modern trades are increasingly technical, and employers are investing accordingly.
A Broader Regional Effort
The submarine industrial base has often been associated with Virginia, but growth is not confined to one state. In Pennsylvania, collaboration among industry, the state, and the U.S. Navy is focused on building a talent pipeline that connects schools and businesses more directly.
Programs are designed to align student training with real job openings, both at companies like Rhoads and across the broader Delaware Valley DIB ecosystem. Industry groups in the region are coordinating efforts to address workforce gaps collectively rather than in isolation.
That coordination matters when the national shortfall is measured in the hundreds of thousands.
The Skilled Trades Are Alive and Well
The numbers on ClearanceJobs tell part of the story. Hundreds of open welding and electrician roles are available right now, many requiring a Secret clearance and others at different levels. These are not temporary positions tied to short-term projects. Many are connected to long-cycle defense programs that require sustained labor over years.
Growth in national security does not only look like artificial intelligence or advanced cyber tools. It also looks like dry docks under construction, apprenticeship classrooms filled with new trainees, and contracts structured in 10-year increments.
For candidates willing to consider a path outside the traditional office setting, the skilled trades offer something increasingly rare: strong starting wages, structured training, upward mobility into six figures, and the potential for a multi-decade career anchored in mission-driven work.
The defense industrial base conversation often focuses on policy and procurement. But on the ground, it is also about welders, electricians, and the infrastructure required to support them.
And based on the hiring data, the opportunities are not slowing down.
