The Defense Industry Partnership

Special Project

Identify Job Competency Similarities


This special project proposal will seek to identify similarities in the job descriptions (skill sets) represented by the Rhode Island defense industry labor force and how they could assimilate and transition into other industries that operate in the harsh ocean environment.  Industries such as:  Ocean Surveys, Ocean Exploration and Mapping, Port & Harbor Security, Ocean Renewable Energy, Wreck Oil Removal, Development of Undersea Robotics and Autonomous Undersea Vehicles (AUVs), Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and Offshore Oil & Gas are but examples of growth industries operating in the world’s oceans.  Historically, the locations of these industries have centered in the geographic areas that have provided educational infrastructure, available labor force and investment capital to support these industries.  In this proposal, these industries will be reviewed and assessed as to how they can be supported with assets that reside in RI.

Collaboration with Faculty Researchers


The Defense industry has historically collaborated with higher education through individual research partnerships with select faculty members.  Additionally, we would like to expand the current collaboration with individual faculty research partnerships so as to involve an educator from higher education as well, which can impact the education of teacher candidates.   Our goal is to incorporate this model through the Colleges and University management system to incorporate a deep support for research and applied research activities in these new industries.  The RIEDC’s new capital programs and RI banks, coupled with the available labor force, will provide a new review of the possibilities with the industries identified herein.  This assessment will provide valuable information for RI based businesses to explore migrating into these different industries with confidence. 


Bring Emplyers Together to Foster Skill Development and Sector Advancement

Our goal will be to assemble a Special Project Advisory Committee, after the initial Defense Industry Skills Gap Study is completed, consisting of the Partnership representatives, faculty/administrators from RI based colleges/universities, RI based defense contractors, federal labs and organizations working with the defense industry to effectuate the skill set comparative analysis within the ocean growth industries.  This proposal will bring employers together to foster skill development and sector advancement in new areas and occupations that cut across the defense industry to potentially create multiple industry partnerships. `

See other elements of the Partnership