Navy Funded Partnership Programs

Welding in the lab
Noncredit Course Offerings
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Break into high-paying manufacturing careers with these sought-after skills

Get on the fast track to a new career with these unique programs, specially designed to prepare you for professional certifications in as little as 4.5 months. Partnering with the United States Navy, the College is bringing Naval Welding and Nondestructive Testing to students as noncredit advanced technical programs. Naval welding and nondestructive testing are two essential careers that have a high demand for new workers. These programs offer hundreds of hours of hands-on experience, helping you develop and refine your skills in the classroom while preparing you for a lifelong career.
students in the welding workshop

Career Outlook

$54,080/year

Average income for Naval Welders in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 
$77,000/year

Median pay for Nondestructive Testing Specialists 
Student welding in the CATC
Starts Sept. 2025

Naval Welding

Learn to construct the ships that facilitate global trade and protect our waterways. With a large portion of welders set to retire over the next decade, this industry is full of potential for newcomers. This advanced program begins in the classroom where students learn the theory, technical standards, and safety requirements of ship-building welding. After which, students will implement what they have learned by working to instructions that mimic manufacturing procedures.
Program duration: 450 hours (Full Time, 4.5 months)

A Wide Array of Welding Techniques, Taught to Military Standards 

 

Students will be taught to weld specialty alloys like copper-nickel and corrosion-resistant steel.  Students will be taught the following welding techniques and standards:

  • Shielded Metal ARC Welding (SMAW)
  • Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW)
  • Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) and common variations such as GMAW-Pulse
  • Qualification of Welding Procedures and Welders (Technical Publication 248)
  • Fabrication of Piping (Technical Publication 278)
  • Fabrication of Submarine Structure (Technical Publication 1688)
  • MIL-STD-1689 (Fabrication of Surface Ship Structure)

Welding will be performed in multiple positions, simulating real-life naval scenarios to ensure students are prepared for the applications of welding in shipbuilding and repair.

NDT technician

Nondestructive Testing

Nondestructive technicians are an essential part of construction and manufacturing, both in the Navy and in the private sector. Using techniques like magnetic particle inspection, nondestructive technicians inspect the quality of welds and materials used in maritime construction and transportation. This means testing and assuring the quality of welds for ship and submarine parts, testing pipelines that carry hazardous materials like oil and nuclear elements, testing for small defects in parts, evaluating the condition and lifespan of equipment used in manufacturing, and more. Outside the Navy, this skillset can be applied to the construction of large buildings, machinery, and more.

Program Duration: 600 hours (Full-time, 6 months)

Testing for Quality and Safety in World-class Manufacturing Environments

 

Outside the Navy, this skillset can be applied to the construction of large buildings, machinery, and more. This course consists of 230 hours of classroom work going over theory and standards, and 370 hours of hands-on instruction and learning. Students will learn the following methods of nondestructive inspection:

  • Visual inspection
  • Magnetic particle inspection
  • Penetrant inspection
  • Ultrasonic inspection

Instruction is aligned to the U.S. Navy’s Technical Publication 271 and evaluation criteria is in accordance with Military Standard 2035. Students will learn how to interpret indications (defects) commensurate with level II inspector responsibilities.

Upon completion, students will have the ability to conduct inspections of plate and pipe weldments while also understanding appropriate reporting practices, leaving with the confidence to be able to follow prescriptive procedures employed by well-known manufacturers.

Complete this form if you’re interested in enrolling in these high-demand career programs at no cost to you.

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