UW Boosts Great Lakes Shipbuilding

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 30, 2007

UW Boosts Great Lakes Shipbuilding – Keep Higher Wage Jobs In Our Jobs In our Region: Kagen

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) University of Wisconsin-Marinette has been named as partner in a groundbreaking program to provide training in ship design and naval architecture, UW-Marinette Dean Paula Langteau announced today.

UW-Marinette will partner with Marinette Marine Corporation in a $4.4 million National Shipbuilding Research Program contract to provide training in naval architecture using a 3D modeling and ship construction program developed by ShipConstructor Software.

“We are extremely excited to be able to offer an educational program of immediate benefit to a local industry such as Marinette Marine and to be one of the first of only two universities in the country to offer this education and training,” said Dean Paula Langteau.

“This is a real first for Wisconsin and it’s happening right here in Marinette. Partnership means progress for everyone – for UW-Marinette and Marinette Marine. This is only the beginning of a great relationship between our nation’s finest educational system and successful businesses like Marinette Marine,” said Congressman Kagen.

“Higher wage jobs come to those who have invested in higher education. I applaud Dean Paula Langteau for her efforts and look forward to assisting her in expanding educational opportunities. This advances our efforts to keep the Great Lakes shipbuilding industry strong and to keep higher wage jobs in our region,” Kagen said.

UW-Marinette will be one of the first providers of this training in the United States, in a contract that includes the University of South Alabama and shipbuilding companies in the U.S. and Canada. Prior to the awarding of this contract, the Navy has been sending people to Canada for training in ship design using this software.