During a trip to the New England Institute of Technology in Warwick on Monday, U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh got a lesson in the Shipbuilding and Advanced Manufacturing Institute, known as SAMI.

The program was first funded in 2013 through the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant program, a U.S. Department of Labor grant program for community colleges in the United States designed to help workers eligible for training under the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers program, as well as other adults.

The customized 300-hour machinist-training program helps to train workers hired by regional manufacturers.

According to Steven Kitchin, Vice President for Corporate Education and Training for New England Tech, more than 1,500 students have graduated and landed jobs since the program started.

Kitchin explained that New England Tech was created with a mission of preparing students for technical and graduate jobs.

About 80 years later, Kitchin said that they are continuing to do so through programs like SAMI.

“SAMI is a reflection of that mission. SAMI reflects New England Tech’s commitment of preparing all the students who go to school here to go to work,” Kitchin said.

While visiting the campus Walsh said he learned about the program first-hand from students and graduates of the program.

“I had the chance to talk to a couple of young people in the back, one was a young woman who was kind of doing different jobs, and she kind of got into welding by accident. She's right here. And she's talking about how she has an opportunity,” Walsh said.

Another person he said he talked to a young man who was a landscaper for 15 years, tried some other things and ended up at Electric Boat.

“It's an amazing opportunity that we have here,” Walsh said.

During the two and a half hour visit one of the presentations given was from Andrew Bond, the Vice President of Human Resources for General Dynamics Electric Boat. He explained that currently staffing at the Quonset Point facility is 4,500 people who are predominantly involved in manufacturing, and their current 2022 hiring projection is to hire 1,250 more workers in Quonset.

Walsh also said, while in Warwick surrounded by Rhode Island’s Congregational delegation and Gov. Dan McKee, that it's important that Congress passes the Build Back Better plan.

“We also have the Build Back Better bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Build Back Better reconciliation package that's gonna hopefully pass this week. And we'll get those done and get those job training dollars into Rhode Island, get those job training dollars into other states around the country, but really think about expanding opportunity,” Walsh said.

And on a more somber note Walsh, who served as Mayor of Boston from 2014 until he was tapped by President Biden’s administration as Labor Secretary earlier this year said it was a sad loss for Red Sox Nation after Jerry Remy, a former second baseman for the team and broadcaster for NESN, died over the weekend.

A big submarine: U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh along with U.S. Senator Jack Reed examined a wooden dummy of the inside of a submarine during a visit to the New England Institute of Technology Warwick campus on Monday.