August 2025
As someone deeply invested in the future of American manufacturing, I believe we’re facing a pivotal moment. The skilled trades sector is under pressure, not just from a growing labor shortage, but from a deeper issue: disengagement. With only 32% of U.S. employees feeling connected to their work, the impact on productivity and morale is staggering. And in industries vital to national defense, this crisis hits even harder. That’s why I’m excited to share how the U.S. Navy Talent Pipeline Program (TPP) is stepping up. These are powerful challenges and initiatives both TPP and local organizations like, the Manufacturers’ Association, are working to help manufacturers not only recruit talent, but also reignite purpose, build resilience, and strengthen the backbone of our workforce.
The Perfect Storm: Skills Gap Meets Engagement Gap
Our nation faces a significant shortage of skilled trades workers—welders, CNC machinists, additive manufacturing technicians, non-destructive testing (NDT) specialists, quality control inspectors, electricians, electronics technicians, HVAC technicians, and countless other critical roles that keep our infrastructure running and our economy moving. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that we’ll need hundreds of thousands of new skilled trades workers over the next decade, yet traditional recruitment and retention strategies are falling short.
Why? Because the same engagement challenges plaguing corporate America are devastating our skilled trades workforce. When Gallup found that only 28% of employees strongly agree that their opinions count at work, and just 31% feel someone encourages their development, we’re seeing the root causes of why talented individuals leave trades careers—or never enter them in the first place.
A Strategic Solution: The US Navy Talent Pipeline Program
This is where the US Navy Talent Pipeline Program is making a transformative difference. Launched in 2021 with just 36 employers in the Philadelphia area, this Navy-funded initiative operates under the guidance of TMG, Inc. and has rapidly expanded to support almost 500 employers nationwide. As a network coach for this innovative program, I’ve witnessed firsthand how it helps Defense Industrial Base employers transform their practices, creating workplace cultures that foster engagement, accountability, and purpose that these employers desperately need.
The program doesn’t just help employers find skilled trades workers—it shares best practices with Defense Industrial Base employers to help them build trusting relationships between employees and supervisors, help employees create family-sustaining jobs with career paths for growth and advancement. In Central Pennsylvania, companies are being guided and supported through efforts with the Manufacturers’ Association, which has been serving Central PA communities since 1906. Employers who participate in the program develop built-in engagement advantages: they learn to build teamwork, create clear expectations, and help workers see meaningful work that contributes to something larger than themselves.
Measuring What Matters: The 5th Metric Advantage
One of the program’s most powerful tools is 5th Metric Scorecard, a sophisticated employee engagement measurement system that goes beyond traditional surveys. While Gallup’s research shows that fewer than one in five employees are extremely satisfied with their employer, 5th Metric helps our Defense Industrial Base partner companies identify exactly where their engagement gaps exist and provides actionable strategies to address them.
5th Metric doesn’t just measure engagement—it helps Defense Industrial Base employers understand the four critical themes that Gallup identified as missing from most work experiences:
- Organizational Culture: Building belonging and connection, especially crucial in skilled trades where safety and teamwork are paramount
- Leadership Transparency: Creating the clear communication and trust that veterans expect and that drives performance
- Resource Investment: Ensuring workers have the tools, training, and support they need to succeed
- Performance Management: Providing regular feedback and development opportunities that transform good workers into great ones
The Employer Transformation Advantage
Defense Industrial Base employers who work with our Navy-supported pipeline gain unique advantages that directly address engagement challenges:
- Clear expectations: The program helps employers learn to communicate objectives and standards effectively while building trust between supervisors and employees—exactly what Gallup found only 47% of employees experience
- Development mindset: Participating employers transform their approach to creating career paths for growth and advancement
- Mission connection: They learn how to help workers understand how individual contributions impact larger organizational goals
- Family-sustaining careers: Employers develop systems to provide meaningful feedback and compensation that support workers and their families
A Call to Action for Defense Industrial Base Employers
If you’re a Defense Industrial Base employer struggling with skilled trades recruitment and retention, consider this: the solution isn’t just about finding workers—it’s about transforming your workplace practices so talented people want to stay and grow. The Navy Talent Pipeline Program helps you transform your approach to workforce development, creating engagement-ready workplace cultures that drive performance.
But more importantly, tools like 5th Metric can help you measure and improve the very engagement factors that Gallup research shows are missing from most American workplaces. When you combine Navy-supported employer transformation with data-driven engagement strategies, you create a competitive advantage that addresses both the skills gap and the engagement crisis.
Building Tomorrow’s Workforce Today
America’s skilled trades sector needs more than workers—it needs engaged, committed professionals who see their careers as meaningful and growth-oriented. Since starting with 36 Philadelphia-area employers in 2021, the US Navy Talent Pipeline Program continues to grow will support beyond 500 employers nationwide, proving that when you help employers transform their practices alongside intentional engagement strategies, you don’t just fill positions—you build thriving teams that drive business success.
The $2 trillion cost of disengagement doesn’t have to be your company’s reality. With the right talent and the right tools to measure and improve engagement, your organization can be part of the solution to America’s skilled trades challenge.
Ready to explore how Navy-supported employer transformation and engagement measurement can transform your workforce? Connect with me, Becky Becker, if you are in the Central PA Region at bbecker@mascpa.org. If you are not in the central PA region, please reach out to the TPP organization to best connect with your network in your region – https://dibtalentpipeline.com/.
Becky Becker, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Training & Business Development Manager, Network Coach- Navy Talent Pipeline