The College of Southern Maryland is expanding its advanced manufacturing training through two separate grants that together could shape both classroom instruction and hands-on apprenticeships for years to come.
CSM’s Velocity Center in Indian Head received a $52,000 grant through TEDCO’s 2026 Maryland Makerspace Initiative Program, part of a $753,000 statewide round spread across 17 projects. The grant will fund new instructional equipment and three new courses at the center, preparing students to pursue the Certified Manufacturing Associate credential while building skills for defense, aerospace, precision manufacturing, and fabrication work.
CSM wasn’t the only Southern Maryland winner this round — Paxspace and the St. Mary’s County Library, both in St. Mary’s County, also received Makerspace grants, meaning the region claimed three of the program’s 17 statewide awards this year. “We are creating accessible pathways for individuals to earn valuable credentials and prepare for rewarding careers in advanced manufacturing,” said Velocity Center Executive Director Lesley Quattlebaum. “This initiative strengthens our commitment to meeting regional workforce needs while helping employers build the skilled talent pipeline essential to Southern Maryland’s economic growth.”
The defense-industry framing isn’t incidental. The Velocity Center sits inside Charles County’s Western Technology Corridor, a roughly 7.67-square-mile stretch along Maryland Route 210 between Maryland Airport and the Town of Indian Head that’s home to more than 130 businesses in technology, research, and energetics — anchored by its proximity to Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division. Quattlebaum, who has led the center since 2022 after previously helping CSM secure $26 million in grant funding as a project manager, has described the center’s mission in terms of that base relationship, saying its STEM programming is “developing talent next door to the base” toward a future NSWC Indian Head workforce.
Separately, CSM is partnering with JobForward on a nearly $1 million grant to expand registered apprenticeship opportunities in advanced manufacturing. That funding flows through the Maryland Department of Labor’s Industry Apprenticeship Accelerator Program, a $5 million initiative Gov. Wes Moore announced in July that’s distributing money across nine statewide intermediary organizations; JobForward is the only one of the nine focused specifically on engineering, manufacturing, and logistics.
Collectively, the nine grantees aim to launch 14 new registered apprenticeship programs, recruit close to 150 employers, and add more than 650 apprentices statewide. Through the partnership, CSM will serve as a program sponsor, helping employers launch and sustain apprenticeships by managing administration, compliance, and training coordination.
“Our partnership with CSM reflects a shared commitment to building strong career pathways into advanced manufacturing,” said JobForward CEO Matt McKenney. “By expanding registered apprenticeship opportunities, we are helping Maryland employers develop the skilled workforce they need while creating accessible, earn-and-learn opportunities that lead to rewarding careers and long-term economic growth.”
