The conversation about bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. from Asia often skips over an important question: How do we ensure a supply of skilled American workers to make that happen? 

The kind of skills required to run a modern-day production plant differs sharply, of course, from those of the early days of manufacturing. A high degree of computer literacy is required to operate today’s increasingly automated assembly lines. At the very least, human workers must be able to work alongside robots and other machines that have supplanted so much manual labor.

One of the key pieces of equipment in manufacturing today is the computer numerical control (CNC) machine, which uses pre-programmed software coding to dictate the movements and tasks of machine tools. The resulting precision leads to high-quality machined parts for a variety of industries, including medical, automotive and electronics. Variations of CNC equipment include those for drilling, milling, plasma cutting, laser cutting and lathing. They promise to play a key role in supporting growth in the U.S. manufacturing sector in the coming years.

CNC machinist degree programs can be found at technical and community colleges all around the country. But one of the most intriguing initiatives leads directly to immediate certification and employment at the same location where the training takes place: the site of the former Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City. What’s more, the training is free.

The Brooklyn Navy Yard began operations in 1801, building some of the most famous fighting ships in U.S. military history. It was decommissioned and given to the City of New York in 1967, but development didn’t get underway until the 1980s, and continued through the next two decades. 

Fast forward to today, and the 300-acre site supports some 550 small to medium-sized manufacturers, fabricators and other businesses, employing around 13,000 workers, according to Nakisha Evans, senior vice president for workforce development and education for the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. BNYDC acts as the site’s not-for-profit real estate developer and property manager on the city’s behalf.

A full CNC machinist’s degree can take two academic years to complete, and proficiency could require up to three full years of operation. But BNYDC’s training program is divided into just two sessions, conducted on Saturdays: Beginner (10 weeks) and Intermediate (six weeks), with hands-on instruction on a variety of CNC equipment and tools.

The training is offered three times a year, with two sessions focusing on the basics of operating the machinery, and a third on upskilling trainees to design the software that’s loaded onto the machines.

Over the course of the programs, participants can obtain up to four certificates from the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) and two from Haas, one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of CNC machines. Unlike some programs, the certifications are embedded in the training and therefore don’t need to be obtained afterwards, Evans notes. 

Those completing the program emerge as CNC machine operators who are eligible to begin working right away, she says. BNYDC helps with career and job placement, with graduates often hired at operations inside the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

“We encourage hiring them in the yard as much as possible,” Evans says, “but we understand the reality that small businesses don’t hire on the cycle of bigger corporations.” BNYDC also maintains relationships with operations outside the yard, especially in the southern part of Brooklyn.

Candidates for training come largely through community outreach, with preference given to Brooklyn and “hyper-local” residents, Evans says. Not surprisingly, there’s a lot of competition for just 16 spaces with access to four machines: this year, they were selected from a field of 110 applicants.

Evans says BNYDC is hoping to expand the CNC operator training program, although funding even the current program “is a constant effort.”

“Urban manufacturing is not something a lot of funders think of,” she adds, “but we’ve been really good at helping them to imagine what that looks like.” The task could grow easier, though, as businesses become aware of the need for a stronger U.S. manufacturing base — and the skills that go with it.