AUDIE

The Home Spur

BRIK Creative and Rebecca Bruckner

This page collects published facts about the yards and plants named below, and marks what is not on the record.

Proposed: Mississippi is the first sending place.

A proposal, not a contract. There is no signed placement with any employer, college, or agency.

The idea

A BRIK Creative proposal. It is not a contract. No company, college, or agency has agreed to it.

Arsenal-2 is in Baltimore County. Mississippi does not need the yard. It needs the skill and the supplier base.

Cohort: rural high schools, community colleges, universities, and already qualified adults.
Relocate: sponsored work-study at the Maryland yard, or at a partner yard until 2030 operations.
Certify: structural welding, pipefitting, shipfitting, marine electrical, NDT, quality, and ArsenalOS production software.
Return: graduates come home and start fabrication, inspection, and supplier firms in their own counties.
Outcome: those firms feed Arsenal-2, Ingalls Pascagoula, and the next yard.

The point

Rural Mississippi becomes a production asset, not a labor export.

The country lays the main line. The county gets the branch. The worker comes home, and the town gets a shop.

The file below audits the current published pathways, names the certification gap, and marks housing, pay, credit transfer, and a return grant as Missing wherever no one has published them.

1. How to read the file

Every line below comes from a primary or cited source that was checked against that source and passed review. The sources for each section are listed directly under it.
Missing means no company, agency, or college has published it. Where possible, the line says what would fill it.
Proposal means a BRIK Creative idea. It is not a funded seat, a signed placement, a wage promise, a partnership, or an endorsement by any company, college, or agency named here.
Reported means the press reported it and no primary document was found.
A company’s own claim is labeled as the company’s claim (“Anduril says”).
Where two published figures differ, both appear with their sources. Neither is picked.
Pay appears only where an employer or agency has published it, with its source and date. Pay that is not published stays Missing.
Posting counts are as of October 8, 2026, from each employer’s public job board.
Three published figures frame the file: $3.7 billion in private capital for Arsenal-2 in Baltimore County, Maryland; more than $16.8 billion for the first phase of Terafab in Grimes County, Texas; and more than $38 million for Modine in Grenada County, Mississippi.

Sources: https://commerce.maryland.gov/press-room/anduril-industries-invest-37b-create-over-3100-jobs-new-shipbuilding-facility ; https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-announces-spacex-expansion-in-grimes-county ; https://mississippi.org/news/modine-expanding-operations-in-grenada/

2. What is open, and what is Missing

Open today: public postings (counts as of October 8, 2026)

SpaceX lists production roles at Bastrop and Starbase, Texas, including “Starlink Production Associate” (Bastrop) and “Build Specialist (Starship)” (Starbase). A Mississippian can apply where a public posting exists.
All SpaceX Texas postings: 1,069. By site: Starbase 400; Bastrop 530; McGregor 77; Austin 31; College Station 25; Anderson (Grimes County) 3; Remote-TX 3. Austin, College Station, and Remote-TX are not build sites; they are included in the 1,069. All 1,069 carry SpaceX’s export-control (ITAR) clause (Section 8).
Five SpaceX postings are labelled “(Terafab)”: three in Bastrop and two in College Station. None is in Grimes County, and none is a fab-floor technician job yet. The three Anderson (Grimes County) postings are a Construction Technician, a Porter, and a sourcing manager.
Anduril lists role families for Arsenal-2, not a reserved class. Arsenal-2 postings: 0. No Anduril posting lists Baltimore, Sparrows Point, or Tradepoint. Anduril’s only Maryland postings are 2 engineering roles at Aberdeen.
Anduril’s rocket motor site in McHenry, Mississippi (not Arsenal-2) has 38 postings: 35 McHenry-only plus 3 shared with Huntsville. Of these, 16 carry Anduril’s U.S. Person clause, 2 require U.S. citizenship, and 15 mention a clearance.
xAI’s board lists 117 postings for “Southaven, MS; Memphis, TN”, 43 Memphis-only, 3 Southaven-only, and 1 Southaven/Austin/Memphis. The SpaceX board adds 43 more Memphis postings.
Modine lists two live Unit Builder postings in Grenada, MS: “Unit Builder - Indoor” (Req ID 10644, posted 10/7/26, onsite) and “Unit Builder 2nd shift” (Req ID 10585, posted 10/1/26, onsite). Modine’s sitemap held 76 Grenada job links as fetched on October 8, 2026; these are sitemap links, not confirmed open postings.

Open today: Mississippi training on record

Holmes Community College lists Welding and Cutting Technology instructors at three campuses: Goodman, Grenada (Industrial Technology Complex), and Ridgeland. It lists an Electro-Mechanical Technology instructor at Grenada.
Holmes Introduction to Welding (MIG/GMAW, Stick/SMAW), a workforce course at Ridgeland: $125, August 24 to October 22.
EPA 608 test prep and proctoring at Ridgeland (noncredit workforce course); credit HVAC lists an instructor at the Grenada campus. EPA 608 at Grenada: Missing.
Grenada Career and Technical Center (Grenada School District) lists Advanced Manufacturing, Automotive, Carpentry, Culinary, Educator Prep, Health Sciences, Welding, and WBL classes, and a Middle College. Advanced Manufacturing I/II course descriptions include PLCs and robotics.
Grenada School District runs an Advanced Manufacturing class with Holmes Community College. Its students and teachers visited Modine in Grenada on January 17, 2025. No feeder agreement is on the record.
Northeast Mississippi Community College workforce Structural Welding (SMAW, GMAW, FCAW, oxyfuel, GTAW): $149, next session November 9, 2026 to January 22, 2027, at NEMCC Holliday Hall, Prentiss County.
Southwest Mississippi Community College workforce Pipe Fitting Level I (NCCER Core plus Pipefitting Level 1): $1,000, Spring 2027.
Across Mississippi’s 15 community colleges, published programs: welding at 15 of 15; pipefitting at 3 of 15 (Jones, a credit program; SMCC, a workforce Level 1 course; Hinds, a course inside Plumbing and Construction); electrical at 14 of 15 (Holmes: Missing); industrial maintenance or mechatronics at 15 of 15; semiconductor at 0 of 15; HVAC at 14 of 15. EPA certification is explicitly stated at 4: Holmes (Ridgeland workforce course), Copiah-Lincoln, Mississippi Delta, and Northwest.
Grenada WIN Job Center: Job Placement, WIOA Services, Priority Services for Veterans, TAA, Job Corps, and referral to supportive services. Phone 662-226-2911.
Grenada is in the Mississippi Partnership local workforce area, and Holmes County is in the Delta area. These are different local areas.
Job Corps centers operate in Batesville (Finch-Henry), Gulfport, and Crystal Springs (Mississippi JCC). WAPT reported (August 12, 2026) that under a settlement, DOL would “fully and unconditionally rescind the termination notices … sent in May 2025.”
High school students: Mississippi CTE dual credit is open to “sophomores or above with at least a 2.0 GPA and school approval.”
The Ingalls Apprentice School is housed in the Haley Reeves Barbour Maritime Training Academy in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Shipfitter, pipefitter, welder, and pipe welder apprentices complete a 6,000-hour program. Electrician and quality inspector apprentices complete an 8,000-hour program. On completion, the apprentice is promoted to journeyman status at Ingalls.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College partners with the Apprentice School. MGCCC says a person who completes an approved apprenticeship may receive 30 semester hours toward an Apprentice Associate of Applied Science degree in Maritime Technology.

Community colleges in the Delta and North Mississippi footprint of the proposed cohort (Section 7)

SENSE is the American Welding Society’s Schools Excelling through National Skills Standards Education program (Source: AWS SENSE, https://www.senseonline.org/local/staticpage/view.php?page=aboutsense-what). SENSE status has not been verified from an official source for any college below, so none is claimed.

Coahoma Community College, Clarksdale. SENSE status: Missing.
Mississippi Delta Community College, Moorhead. Welding is taught at the Allen-Foley Career-Technical Center. SENSE status: Missing.
Northwest Mississippi Community College, Senatobia and Batesville. A Welding and Cutting Technology career certificate is offered at both campuses. SENSE status: Missing.
Holmes Community College, Goodman and Grenada campuses. SENSE status: Missing.
East Mississippi Community College, Scooba campus and Golden Triangle campus in Mayhew. SENSE status: Missing.
Northeast Mississippi Community College, Booneville. SENSE status: Missing.
Outside the cohort footprint, Hinds Community College offers Welding and Cutting Technology at its Jackson, Rankin, Raymond, Utica, and Vicksburg locations: a 30-hour career certificate, a 45 to 46-hour technical certificate, and a 60 to 63-hour Associate of Applied Science.
Note on Hinds “AWS I2PA”: this is the Amazon Web Services Information Infrastructure Pre-Apprenticeship, a paid four-week data center trades program covering HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and fiber optics. It is not an American Welding Society welding credential.

Missing

A seat reserved for Mississippi, or for any one state: Missing. No posting, release, agreement, or filing for Arsenal-2, Terafab, SpaceX, xAI, or Modine reserves one, and no Trump, Hegseth, or Musk statement that does was found. What would fill it: a posting or release from Anduril, SpaceX, or Modine naming reserved seats.
Arsenal-2 postings, trades by count, and qualifications: Missing. What would fill it: Anduril postings for Arsenal-2, or an Anduril or Maryland Commerce staffing plan.
A sponsored move, housing, a stipend, or a training wage: Missing. None is in any primary release checked. What would fill it: an employer or agency release.
A return grant, or a grant that pays a worker to relocate: Missing.
A preferred supplier contract: Missing.
A path from a yard or plant seat to a PhD: Missing.
A sponsored rotation to Grimes County, Starbase, or Bastrop: Missing.
A Maryland permit number for Arsenal-2 and a Grimes County building-permit number for Terafab: Missing.
Who pays the move: Missing.
SENSE status for each college in the footprint: Missing.
A feeder or placement agreement between the Grenada School District or Holmes and any yard or plant: Missing.
EPA 608 at Grenada: Missing.
A Mississippi Workforce Pell program with federal approval: Missing.
Registration deadlines and open seats for the courses above: Missing.

Sources: https://www.spacex.com/careers/jobs ; https://boards-api.greenhouse.io/v1/boards/spacex/jobs?content=true ; https://boards-api.greenhouse.io/v1/boards/andurilindustries/jobs?content=true ; https://boards-api.greenhouse.io/v1/boards/xai/jobs?content=true ; https://www.anduril.com/arsenal/arsenal-2 ; https://careers.modine.com/job/Grenada-Unit-Builder-Indoor-MS-38901/1437842600/ ; https://careers.modine.com/job/Grenada-Unit-Builder-2nd-shift-MS-38901/1435920100/ ; https://careers.modine.com/sitemap.xml ; https://holmescc.edu/career-technical/welding-and-cutting-technology/ ; https://holmescc.edu/career-technical/industrial-mechanics-maintenance-technology/ ; https://holmescc.edu/career-technical/heating-ventilation-ac-and-refrigeration/ ; https://news.holmescc.edu/holmes-opens-registration-for-introduction-to-welding-course-in-ridgeland/ ; https://news.holmescc.edu/holmes-to-offer-hvac-epa-608-certification-training-in-ridgeland/ ; https://gctc.grenadak12.com/classes/advanced-manufacturing ; https://www.grenadak12.com/about-us/news/news-details/~board/gctc-news-24-25/post/grenada-students-explore-advanced-manufacturing-at-modine ; https://www.nemcc.edu/workforce/courses/index.html ; https://workforce.smcc.edu/courses/pipe-fitting/ ; https://www.jcjc.edu/programs/pipefitting/ ; https://www.hindscc.edu/pathways/acmt/plumbing-construction-technology ; https://www.colin.edu/program/career-technical/engineering-construction-manufacturing/ ; https://www.msdelta.edu/programs/career-technical/construction/hvac.php ; https://www.northwestms.edu/programs/career-technical/engineering-and-manufacturing-pathways/hvac-technology ; https://www.mccb.edu/curriculum/electronics-and-related-engineering-technology-1 ; https://www.mdes.ms.gov/win-job-centers/grenada-win-job-center/ ; https://mdes.ms.gov/i-need-a-job/job-searching-resources/workforce-innovation-and-opportunity-act/local-workforce-development-areas ; https://mdes.ms.gov/media/313488/oep_wda_d.pdf ; https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/jobcorps/contact/region-3 ; https://www.wapt.com/article/job-corp-centers-to-remain-open-government-rescinds-shutdown-efforts/73414813 ; https://www.mccb.edu/programs/academics/dual-enrollment-credit ; https://hii.com/careers/ingalls-apprentice-school ; https://mgccc.edu/programs/schools/manufacturing-maritime-transportation/maritime-technology/ ; https://www.coahomacc.edu/ ; https://www.msdelta.edu/programs/career-technical/construction/welding.php ; https://www.northwestms.edu/programs/career-technical/engineering-and-manufacturing-pathways/welding-and-cutting ; https://holmescc.edu/ ; https://www.eastms.edu/about-emcc/locations ; https://www.nemcc.edu/ ; https://www.hindscc.edu/pathways/acmt/welding-technology ; https://www.hindscc.edu/hinds-cc-trainees-graduate-from-upskilling-program-aimed-at-meeting-mississippi-workforce-needs ; https://acceleratems.org/news/hands-on-program-boosts-local-careers/ ; https://www.senseonline.org/local/staticpage/view.php?page=aboutsense-what

3. Baltimore Arsenal-2, with the Maryland Commerce, Anduril, and Defense One lines

Maryland Commerce, October 6, 2026

The state and Baltimore County announced a $3.7 billion private capital investment by Anduril Industries.
“The facility is expected to support over 14,000 jobs, including the creation of more than 3,100 new permanent jobs.”
“Anduril’s investments are expected to deliver over $2 billion in annual economic output, including an estimated $312 million in wages each year.” Anduril’s release gives the same $312 million estimate. It is a total-payroll estimate, not a per-job wage.
A two million square-foot software-defined shipyard, tied to Virginia-class requirements.
Anduril says Arsenal-2 will build complex components and large scale assemblies of the Virginia-class submarine and deliver them to [General Dynamics] Electric Boat and [HII] Newport News Shipbuilding for final assembly (Source: Anduril; not stated in the Maryland releases).
Electric Boat or Newport News confirmation on its own site: Missing.
The state incentive package includes capital support for a Center of Excellence for workforce training at a to-be-determined site at or near Tradepoint Atlantic.
Maryland Commerce: the state and county “commitments to match up to 13%” include “new appropriations that will require approval of the Maryland General Assembly and Baltimore County Council”. Both bodies must approve. The match is announced, not appropriated. The County bill and its vote dates are in Section 8.
The state “will additionally pursue a Maritime Prosperity Zone federal designation”.
The trade list below (welders, pipefitters, and others) is not in the Maryland Commerce release.

Anduril, October 6, 2026 (release and Arsenal-2 page)

Arsenal-2 will be built at Tradepoint Atlantic in Baltimore County, on a 187-acre site, with a functional 1,200-foot graving dock and multimodal road and rail access.
Anduril says Arsenal-2 will create 3,100 direct jobs and support more than 11,000 indirect jobs. Its Arsenal-2 page says 3,100+ new direct jobs by 2034 and $2 billion in projected annual economic output.
Anduril says the U.S. Navy awarded it a contract of up to $2.9 billion, with payments tied directly to demonstrated production outcomes.
Anduril says this structure means Anduril, not the taxpayer, takes on the majority of the execution risk (Anduril’s claim).
Initial operations are expected to come online in 2030, with production scaling after that.
Permitting and site preparation will begin immediately, per Anduril, with construction starting once the necessary approvals are in place.
Anduril says digital work instructions, embedded quality controls, sensing, and automation will support welders, pipefitters, electricians, shipfitters, and inspectors. ArsenalOS, its industrial software platform, is the digital backbone (company description). These are trades the production system “will support”. They are not a hiring list and carry no counts.
Anduril’s Arsenal-2 page, under “We are hiring for the following roles across locations.”, lists six role families: Technicians / Operators; Manufacturing Engineering; Quality & Compliance; Materials & Support; Manufacturing Operations; Production Test.
Workforce runway (Anduril): a “new 160,000-square-foot facility in Orange County, California” gives “a two-year operational head start” and will “recruit and train the early workforce”.
The same release names “a rocket motor facility in McHenry, Mississippi” in Anduril’s network.

Defense One, and other on-record statements

Defense One quotes President Trump: “American taxpayers will receive a 40 percent stake in the new shipyard.” Defense One reports the stake is in a new Anduril subsidiary. The stake is not in the Anduril or Maryland Commerce releases.
Defense One reported that Anduril “plans to break ground by early 2027”. In Defense One’s own words, the plant “is expected to increase overall Navy submarine production by 15 percent or about 9 million production hours per year” (the reporter’s sentence).
War Department article (October 6, 2026, read through a public mirror): Trump said, “This massive project will create over 3,100 new jobs right here in Maryland and will support an additional 11,000 jobs across the nation.” Hegseth said, “You need to make shipbuilding great again, our manufacturing great again, our defense industrial base strong and robust again.”
WBAL, October 6, 2026: at Sparrows Point, Trump said, “Anduril is investing $3.7 billion in a state-of-the-art shipyard that will be known forever as Arsenal-2.”
GovCon Wire reported the yard will produce submarines, submarine components, and autonomous underwater vessels.
GovCon Wire reported that Defense Secretary Hegseth called the shipyard an integral part of the arsenal of freedom initiative and said the president has demanded speed, scale, and urgency from the department.
Hegseth posted “Arsenal of Freedom.” on X on October 6, 2026, quoting Anduril’s Arsenal-2 post. He published no job list.
Hegseth at Newport News Shipyard, January 5, 2026 (War Department transcript): “The welders, the electricians, the pipefitters, the steamfitters, the engineers, the planners, the skilled tradesmen … you are the engine of the arsenal of freedom”.
Stars and Stripes (Baltimore Sun/TNS) reported that Trump promised $21 billion in future purchases once the facility is operating. That figure is not in the Maryland Commerce release.
Job counts differ by source. 3,100 direct is the figure both primary sources give. Indirect and total counts: “more than 11,000 indirect” (Anduril); “over 14,000 jobs” supported (Maryland); “an additional 11,000 jobs across the nation” (Trump, War Department article); “This project will create tens of thousands of jobs” (@WhiteHouse on X, October 6, 2026). All are shown. None is picked.
Federal policy on record: Executive Order 14278 (April 23, 2025) sets a plan “to reach and surpass 1 million new active apprentices”. The August 13, 2026 shipbuilding memorandum lets a foreign builder build up to two ships abroad if the company “hires and trains an American citizen workforce for the United States shipyards”.

What the jobs ask for (Anduril’s published postings; Arsenal-2 qualifications are not published)

Anduril’s most common gate wording (234 of 2,477 postings): “Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities”. 28 postings instead say “U.S. citizenship is required pursuant to contractual obligations”.
Proxy at Anduril’s Santa Ana, California maritime shop (not Arsenal-2): Pipe Fitter/Welder asks for “High school diploma or GED”; “5+ years of pipefitting, welding, or related mechanical trade experience”; “Proficiency in GTAW (TIG) welding on pipe in multiple positions”; and “U.S. Person status (ITAR requirement)”.
Proxy, Santa Ana: Electrician, Maritime Production Electrical Assembly asks for “High school diploma or GED. 7+ years of electrical experience: industrial, shipboard, or manufacturing environments.”
Federal Navy yard apprenticeship reference (not Anduril; DOL Bulletin 2016-08): “Must be a U.S. citizen”; term “generally four years with an OJL attainment of 7,200 hours”; “no less than 576 hours (144 x 4) of related instruction”.

Wages (Baltimore)

Arsenal-2 posted pay: Missing. There are no Arsenal-2 postings.
Maryland Commerce and Anduril (October 6, 2026): “an estimated $312 million in wages each year”. This is a total-payroll estimate, not a per-job wage.
Anduril Maryland postings at Aberdeen (engineering, not shipyard trades; Greenhouse last updated October 5, 2026; accessed October 8, 2026):
- Senior Technical Program Manager - Connected Warfare: “$143,000 to $191,000 USD” (https://boards.greenhouse.io/andurilindustries/jobs/5195327007?gh_jid=5195327007).
- Senior Test Engineer, Connected Warfare: “$126,000 to $167,000 USD” (https://boards.greenhouse.io/andurilindustries/jobs/5195325007?gh_jid=5195325007).
Anduril Santa Ana, California maritime proxies (not Arsenal-2 seats; Greenhouse last updated October 5, 2026; accessed October 8, 2026):
- Pipe Fitter/Welder: “$68,000 to $90,000 USD” (https://boards.greenhouse.io/andurilindustries/jobs/5170650007?gh_jid=5170650007).
- Electrician, Maritime Production Electrical Assembly: “US Hourly Range $53.85 to $71.63 USD” (https://boards.greenhouse.io/andurilindustries/jobs/5253218007?gh_jid=5253218007).
Anduril McHenry, Mississippi (adjacent Anduril site, not Arsenal-2; Greenhouse last updated October 5, 2026; accessed October 8, 2026):
- Maintenance Technician: “$53,000 to $69,000 USD” (https://boards.greenhouse.io/andurilindustries/jobs/5230884007?gh_jid=5230884007).
- Facilities Technician: “$26 to $33 USD”, printed under “US Salary Range” (https://boards.greenhouse.io/andurilindustries/jobs/5233680007?gh_jid=5233680007).
- Production Technician: “$60,000 to $78,000 USD” (https://boards.greenhouse.io/andurilindustries/jobs/5166709007?gh_jid=5166709007).
- Test Technician: “$66,000 to $88,000 USD” (https://boards.greenhouse.io/andurilindustries/jobs/5190503007?gh_jid=5190503007).
Legal floor where Arsenal-2 work would happen: Maryland $15.00 an hour, overtime after 40 hours a week (DOL Wage and Hour Division state table, updated July 1, 2026).
Unpublished pay stays Missing. That includes any Mississippi training wage, which no employer, college, or agency has published.

Missing for Baltimore: a Mississippi or sending-county seat, housing, a training wage, a return grant, a permit number, Arsenal-2 postings, and Arsenal-2 pay.

4. Terafab and the SpaceX sites, with the Abbott release, careers page, and Statesman wage note

Governor Abbott, August 6, 2026

SpaceX will construct a vertically integrated semiconductor fabrication plant in Grimes County, Texas, under the Terafab project. Terafab is planned, not operating.
The first phase is a capital investment of more than $16.8 billion and will create 3,000 new jobs.
The governor’s release describes “the 100-million-square-foot facility.”
“A Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) grant of $30 million has been extended to SpaceX.” The release names SpaceX as the recipient. It is not a grant to any Mississippi program. The facility is a qualified project under the Texas JETI program.
The jobs will include engineers, technicians, and plant operator personnel.
In the release, Elon Musk said Terafab combines logic, memory, and advanced packaging under one roof. He named SpaceX’s headquarters at Starbase, Texas, where Starship is developed and launched, and its Starlink factory in Bastrop, Texas.

Musk and Hegseth, on record

Musk on X, October 7, 2026: “No, we will build and run the fab. Let there be ZERO doubt about that.”
Musk on X, May 21, 2026: “SpaceX is actively hiring world-class engineers/physicists for SpaceXAI, even if you have zero prior experience in AI.”
Musk on X, November 12, 2025: “SpaceX has succeeded despite not being unable [sic] to hire critical world-class talent from other countries due to ITAR laws.”
Hegseth at SpaceX Starbase, January 12, 2026 (War Department transcript): “We will use every hiring and pay authority available to us to bring the best American technical talent”.

Grimes County agreements (effective June 3, 2026)

KBTX reported that under the agreements, SpaceX must invest at least $5 billion in Grimes County by 2030 and create at least 1,800 full-time jobs by 2035. As reported by KBTX; agreement text not verified. KBTX also reported that no penalties apply if SpaceX reaches 90 percent of those goals, and reported an exit on 30 days’ notice.
KBTX reported (June 5 and June 22, 2026) that the Grimes County agreements took effect June 3, 2026 and were signed by June 22, 2026, before Abbott’s August 6 release. The agreement text is Missing as a primary source.

JETI filings (Texas school-tax program; not permits)

The Office of the Governor’s JETI list (“as of September 30, 2026”) shows J0035 to J0038 (Anderson-Shiro CISD) and J0039 to J0042 (Iola ISD), “Semiconductor Manufacturing,” 50% limitation, with required jobs of 10 per agreement. Total jobs are 617 (Anderson-Shiro) plus 383 (Iola) per phase, i.e. 1,000 per phase. Phase 1 capital is $10,366,217,000 plus $6,434,783,000, about $16.8 billion.
JETI application J0035 (signed May 4, 2026; posted June 8, 2026): construction 2026 to 2028; commercial operations 2029; 617 jobs hired in 2029; total for all four phases “between $55 billion and $119 billion”. On permits, the applicant answered “No”.
JETI agreement J0035 (posted August 25, 2026; a scanned PDF, read page by page): page 27 sets “Construction Period Beginning Date: December 1, 2026” and “Construction Period Ending Date: December 31, 2028”, with the incentive period January 1, 2029 to December 31, 2038. Page 27 also sets Required Jobs: “(1) 10 jobs by the end of the first tax year of the Incentive Period. (2) Demonstrate an average of at least 10 jobs during each tax year until the Agreement expires.”
No primary source confirms ground has broken.

Local estimate (KBTX, August 25, 2026)

Greater Brazos Partnership CEO Tom Johnson told KBTX that permanent direct jobs at the end of the construction period would be somewhere between 1,500 and 1,800, over about 10 years. This is a local economic developer’s estimate, not a SpaceX or county figure.
Terafab job figures come from different sources: the governor’s 3,000 in the first phase; the county minimum of 1,800 by 2035 (KBTX-reported); Johnson’s 1,500 to 1,800 estimate; 1,000 per phase in the JETI listing; and 4,234 jobs, which the Austin American-Statesman reported the applications “call for”. All are shown. None is picked.

SpaceX’s sites page (selected locations, in the page’s own names)

SpaceX’s sites page lists these locations, among others:

Grimes County, TX: Terafab will be an advanced semiconductor fab.
Starbase, TX: SpaceX headquarters, where Starship development, manufacturing, testing, and launch take place.
Starbase, LA: SpaceX’s newest Starship launch site currently under development.
Hawthorne, CA: SpaceX designs and builds its reusable Falcon rockets and spacecraft.
Bastrop, TX: the Starlink manufacturing facility, which opened in 2023, builds Starlink Kits.
Redmond, WA: Starlink satellite manufacturing.
McGregor, TX: engine, propulsion, and high-energy systems testing.
Memphis, TN / Southaven, MS: SpaceX’s sites page lists Memphis, TN / Southaven, MS as home to its “AI training cluster”, including the Colossus I and Colossus II data centers, in the Greater Memphis Area extending into northern Mississippi along the state border.

More from SpaceX and the states

SpaceX’s sites page says Starbase, Texas “employs 4,000+ workers, with approximately 70% employees hired from the Rio Grande Valley”.
For Starbase, Louisiana, SpaceX’s sites page says it is “committed to investing at least $100 billion and creating more than 3,000 new jobs at Starbase, Louisana [sic], hiring heavily from nearby communities”. Louisiana Economic Development (August 25, 2026): “Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will generate more than 8,100 indirect new jobs” (an LED estimate), and “Construction is expected to begin in 2027 with the first launch targeted to be as soon as 2029”.
Southaven, Mississippi (Mississippi Development Authority and Gov. Reeves, January 8, 2026): xAI’s “corporate investment exceeding $20 billion” there “will create hundreds of permanent jobs throughout DeSoto County”. No exact job count is published: Missing. A Memphis job count from a primary source: Missing.

SpaceX careers page (live postings)

At Bastrop and Starbase, postings include Starlink Production Associate, Production Technician (Gateways, Starlink), Development Process Technician (Injection Molding, Starlink), Manufacturing Engineering Specialist (PCBA, Starlink), CNC Machinist (Tool and Die, Starlink), Sheet Metal Technician (Starship), and Build Specialist (Starship).
What some postings ask for:
- TIG Welder (Starship), Starbase: “High school diploma or equivalency certificate - 1+ years of experience with TIG welding in a manufacturing environment or certificate of completion for welding from an accredited program within the last two years”; “Role requires passing a weld test per AWS D17.1”.
- Electrician Trainee - Temporary, Starbase: “High school diploma or equivalency certificate”; preferred “Apprentice license”.
- Starlink Production Associate, Bastrop: “High school diploma or equivalency certificate”.
- Welder - 2nd Shift, McGregor: “2+ years of experience (experience from a college welding program qualifies)” in two of FCAW, SMAW, GTAW, or GMAW.
- Apprentice Weld Support Technician, McGregor: “Associate’s degree or certification from a 2-year technical school”.
No posting reserves seats for Mississippi or any one state.

Statesman wage note (September 1, 2026)

The Austin American-Statesman reported that the agreements list a December 1, 2026 construction start and planned completion by the end of 2028.
The Statesman reported an average wage of $66,668 for the average of 10 jobs a year the JETI agreement requires in Grimes County. That is not a wage for the 3,000 jobs. The JETI J0035 agreement itself, page 28, reads: “The Required Wage, as determined by the Comptroller, for the life of this Agreement, is: $66,668, on average, for Total Jobs” (sector 334413, Semiconductor Manufacturing). It is an average-wage floor, not a per-person wage.
The earlier JETI application J0035 (signed May 4, 2026) gives “110% of Average Annual Wage: $66,667”. The application says $66,667 and the agreement says $66,668. Both are shown with their documents.
An earlier Statesman article (Andrea Guzmán, June 11, 2026) reported that “the agreement documents don’t specify wage standards for jobs created.” The J0035 agreement posted August 25, 2026 does set a Required Wage. Both stand as written.

Wages (Texas)

JETI agreement J0035, Required Wage: “$66,668, on average, for Total Jobs” (posted August 25, 2026; https://assets.comptroller.texas.gov/open-data/jeti/J0035/J0035-terafabai-anderson-shiro-agmt.pdf).
JETI application J0035: “110% of Average Annual Wage: $66,667” (signed May 4, 2026; posted June 8, 2026; https://assets.comptroller.texas.gov/open-data/jeti/J0035/J0035-terafab-anderson-app.pdf).
SpaceX Texas: posted pay appears on only 4 Texas postings, all sales or legal. No trade posting shows pay, so SpaceX Texas trade pay is Missing.
KBTX wage ranges (August 2026) are reported estimates (a Texas A&M Semiconductor Institute director’s typical range, and figures shown at a local economic briefing), not employer-published wages. They stay Missing as a primary source, and no figures are shown here.
Starbase, Louisiana (Louisiana Economic Development, published August 25, 2026): “3,000 direct new jobs over the next 10 years, paying an average annual salary of $92,600, 192% above the Vermilion Parish average wage”. This is a state-announced projected average, not a posted wage.
xAI Memphis (10 xAI Memphis postings show pay; none of the construction or trade postings does; Greenhouse last updated October 1, 2026; accessed October 8, 2026):
- IT Services Technician: “$61,200 - $91,800 USD” (https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/xai/jobs/5205158007).
- Barista: “Starting at $20.50 USD hourly” (https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/xai/jobs/5212968007).
Legal floor: Texas and Mississippi follow the federal $7.25 an hour (DOL Wage and Hour Division state table, updated July 1, 2026).
Unpublished pay stays Missing. That includes any Mississippi training wage, which no employer, college, or agency has published.

Missing for Texas: a sponsored rotation to Grimes County, Starbase, or Bastrop; a Mississippi reserved seat; housing; a training wage; a return grant; a Grimes County building-permit number; SpaceX Texas trade pay; Terafab permits.

Sources: https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-announces-spacex-expansion-in-grimes-county ; https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2107721071571128709 ; https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2057327547411570907 ; https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1988658092599390318 ; https://www.war.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/4377190/ ; https://www.kbtx.com/2026/06/06/grimes-county-officially-releases-spacex-terafab-agreement-documents/ ; https://www.kbtx.com/2026/06/23/spacex-officially-signs-terafab-tax-agreement-with-grimes-county/ ; https://www.kbtx.com/2026/08/26/real-numbers-behind-terafabs-job-promises/ ; https://www.kbtx.com/2026/08/25/jobs-semiconductor-plants-need-most-how-get-one/ ; https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/business/JETI_Public_Listing.pdf ; https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/development/prop-tax/jeti/application-details.php?id=J0035 ; https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/development/prop-tax/jeti/current-agreements.php ; https://assets.comptroller.texas.gov/open-data/jeti/J0035/J0035-terafab-anderson-app.pdf ; https://assets.comptroller.texas.gov/open-data/jeti/J0035/J0035-terafabai-anderson-shiro-agmt.pdf ; https://www.spacex.com/sites ; https://www.opportunitylouisiana.gov/news/spacex-launches-new-era-of-commercial-spaceflight-with-100-billion-louisiana-campus ; https://mississippi.org/news/tech-leader-xai-investing-more-than-20-billion-in-southaven/ ; https://governorreeves.ms.gov/tech-leader-xai-investing-more-than-20-billion-in-southaven/ ; https://www.spacex.com/careers/jobs ; https://boards-api.greenhouse.io/v1/boards/spacex/jobs?content=true ; https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8718807002?gh_jid=8718807002 ; https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8817884002?gh_jid=8817884002 ; https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8697970002?gh_jid=8697970002 ; https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8726028002?gh_jid=8726028002 ; https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8516568002?gh_jid=8516568002 ; https://www.statesman.com/business/article/elon-musk-tesla-terafab-texas-timeline-22403413.php ; https://www.statesman.com/business/article/spacex-texas-school-tax-breaks-terafab-22298399.php ; https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/xai/jobs/5205158007 ; https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/xai/jobs/5212968007 ; https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state

5. Modine Grenada, including Holmes welding and the Ridgeland EPA 608 correction

Mississippi Development Authority, May 19, 2025

Modine is upgrading one of its existing facilities in Grenada County to make data center cooling equipment.
The corporate investment is more than $38 million by the end of 2028, and the project will create more than 450 jobs.
MDA is providing assistance for building improvements. Entergy Mississippi is assisting with utility needs.
The MDA release carries a quote attributed to Gov. Tate Reeves.

Modine, May 19, 2025, and status since

Modine’s release: “Modine operates two facilities in Grenada, MS”. The product line is Airedale chillers. “Chiller production is expected to begin at the facility later this summer.” The release does not name which of the two Grenada plants.
Status as of October 29, 2025 (latest primary found): Modine CEO Neil Brinker said, “we have officially launched chiller production in our Grenada, Mississippi, facility … five chiller lines in Grenada and are currently producing on two of these lines”.
A later status, including any claim that the final lines are running: Missing. Modine’s third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings transcript was not found.
The Greater Grenada Partnership’s version of the announcement says “hiring for the newly created positions beginning in early 2026”.

Where this came up

The thread where this initiative came up is a post by @XFreeze, a fan account, not Musk: https://x.com/XFreeze/status/2107704790184566969 (October 7, 2026, 1:29 AM ET). The post does not mention Modine. No fact in this file rests on it.

Training around the plant

AccelerateMS is assisting with workforce training programs (Business Facilities, May 22, 2025, and the Greater Grenada Partnership; not in the MDA release). The product line is Airedale by Modine chillers.
Grenada School District, January 20, 2025: the district runs its Advanced Manufacturing program in partnership with Holmes Community College. Students and teachers visited Modine in Grenada on Friday, January 17, 2025 for instruction on programmable logic controllers (PLCs). The program builds on welding, automotive, or carpentry and offers chances to earn high school and college credit. No feeder or placement agreement between the district or Holmes and any yard or plant is on the record.
Holmes and Modine: six Modine employees completed a year-long, 240-clock-hour evening industrial maintenance program, the fifth cohort since Fall 2020.
State training money for Modine is on record in Section 6 (WET Fund).

Live Modine postings in Grenada

“Unit Builder - Indoor” (Req ID 10644) and “Unit Builder 2nd shift” (Req ID 10585), both onsite in Grenada, MS.
Welder Certified: not a live posting. Missing.
Data Center HVAC Technician is a live posting, listed as Remote, USA. It is not a Grenada posting.
What other Grenada postings ask for:
- Wiring Technician - 2nd Shift: “1+ years of experience in panel wiring, electrical assembly, or a related field.”
- EOLT Test Technician - 2nd Shift (chillers): “Diploma or degree in HVAC, Refrigeration, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering (or relevant experience).” Preferred: “EPA Refrigerant Handling Certification, Electrical Safety Training, or equivalent.”
- Pressure Tester - Chillers 2nd Shift: “High school diploma or GED required.”
- Engineering Technician: “Associate degree or technical certification in Engineering Technology, Industrial Technology, Electronics, Mechatronics, or a related field required.”
- GC Maintenance - Elect/Mech Tech 2nd Shift: “Minimum 2 years of experience in maintenance role”; “Knowledge of PLC’s and troubleshooting”.
Gate: 17 of 18 fetched Grenada postings read: “This position is not eligible for any form of sponsorship (e.g. OPT or H1B visa status) now or in the future.” The OEM CNC Programmer Machinist posting (Req 6208) has no such clause. Each page footer links Modine’s Export Compliance Statement (Section 8).

Holmes Community College

Holmes welding (Grenada instructor David Robinson): Holmes lists David Robinson as welding instructor at the Grenada campus.
The 2026-2027 Holmes Bulletin lists the welding program, not a campus. Its curriculum includes Shielded Metal Arc Welding I and II (SMAW), Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW), Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW), Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW), Pipe Welding and Advanced Pipe Welding, Blueprint Reading, and Cutting Processes. A Technical Certificate may be earned after the first 33 hours.
Holmes lists Nettie Coggin as Electro-Mechanical Technology instructor at the Grenada campus.
Holmes’s separate Industrial Maintenance Technology program covers industrial electricity, mechanical drive systems, PLCs, robotics, fluid power, and motor controls. Holmes does not list a campus for that program, so this file does not call it a Grenada program.
Electrical Technology at Holmes: Missing. No Holmes Electrical Technology program is listed.

Ridgeland EPA 608 correction

The “HVAC EPA 608 certification training” ran March 3 to April 8, 2026, “offered as a non-credit workforce course”, in the McGowan Building on the Ridgeland Campus. Registration was through the WIN Job Center.
The HVAC I and II workforce course ran August 10 to September 17, 2026 on the Ridgeland Campus. It included “Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Section 608 certification test preparation and test proctoring.” The $125 fee was “waived for participants enrolled by a WIN Job Center career coach or a Holmes Community College GED instructor.” That session has ended; a next session is Missing.
The credit HVAC program lists instructors at Goodman, Grenada (Industrial Technology Complex), and Ridgeland. Its course ACT 2433 “includes EPA regulations.” The credit bulletin does not say “608 certification.”
EPA 608 test prep and proctoring at Ridgeland (noncredit workforce course); credit HVAC lists an instructor at the Grenada campus. EPA 608 at Grenada: Missing.

Wages (Grenada)

Modine Grenada postings (accessed October 8, 2026):
- Wiring Technician - 2nd Shift: “Pay Range: $18.87-$22.22 with differential of $0.36 after 3:00PM” (Posting Start Date 9/14/26, Req 10142; https://careers.modine.com/job/Grenada-Wiring-Technician-2nd-Shift-MS-38901/1429588400/).
- EOLT Test Technician - 2nd Shift: “Pay Range: $27.13-$31.90 with differential of $0.36 after 3:00PM” (Posting Start Date 9/23/26, Req 7407; https://careers.modine.com/job/Grenada-EOLT-Test-Technician-2nd-Shift-MS-38901/1433146300/).
- Unit Builder - Indoor: “Pay range: 19.17/hour”; “Shift differential: 0.36/hr after 3:00pm” (Req 10644, dated 10/7/26; https://careers.modine.com/job/Grenada-Unit-Builder-Indoor-MS-38901/1437842600/).
Pay for the other Modine Grenada postings: Missing.
Legal floor: Mississippi has no state minimum-wage law; FLSA-covered employers pay $7.25 an hour (DOL Wage and Hour Division state table, updated July 1, 2026).
Unpublished pay stays Missing. That includes any Mississippi training wage, which no employer, college, or agency has published.

Missing for Grenada: a reserved seat, a training wage, housing, a return grant, which Grenada plant houses the chiller lines, and a status later than October 29, 2025.

6. Grants on record: the $8.5 million community college grant, Workforce Pell, EquipMS, and the Grenada RFQ

$8.5 million community college grant (Gov. Reeves, September 23, 2026)

U.S. Department of Labor Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants. “One hundred percent (100%) of the total project cost of $8,544,213 is financed with Federal funds.”
All 15 Mississippi public community colleges, to strengthen training pathways in advanced manufacturing, shipbuilding, construction and information infrastructure, and healthcare.
Northwest Mississippi Community College is the lead, with AccelerateMS partnering.
Expected to serve more than 1,500 participants and support at least 19 short-term training programs seeking Workforce Pell eligibility.
The release names no housing or out-of-state cost, so it does not pay Maryland housing. How a student enters: through the 15 colleges; the intake process is not posted. A college-by-college split: Missing.

Workforce Pell

Federal rule: published May 19, 2026, effective July 20, 2026 (two instructions effective May 19, 2026). Gov. Reeves gave July 1, 2026 as the program’s implementation date. AccelerateMS: “The federal Workforce Pell Grant provisions take effect beginning July 1, 2026. However, individual programs must complete the required state and federal approval processes before students may receive Workforce Pell funds for that program.” A Mississippi Workforce Pell program with federal approval: Missing.
An eligible program runs at least 8 weeks but less than 15 weeks of instruction, and at least 150 but less than 600 clock hours (the rule also allows semester- or quarter-hour equivalents). The Governor approves the program after consulting the State board. The U.S. Secretary of Education then evaluates it.
Mississippi (Gov. Reeves, June 30, 2026): the State Workforce Investment Board approved a state policy framework. Programs may be as short as eight weeks and must lead to a recognized credential. Gov. Reeves said AccelerateMS would begin accepting institutional applications on July 1, 2026. Qualifying programs still need federal approval. AccelerateMS policy: “Governor certification does not, by itself, establish federal Workforce Pell eligibility.” Its placement standard: “at least 70 percent of program completers are employed during the second full calendar quarter after program exit.” 2026-27 priority sectors: Construction, Advanced Manufacturing, and Healthcare. Cycle deadlines: not posted.
Maryland (for training in Maryland): “Maryland is accepting applications beginning July 10, 2026.” “Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed quarterly.”
Amount per student: not posted on the pages checked.

EquipMS (Mississippi public school equipment grants, AccelerateMS)

EquipMS grants, created by House Bill 588 in 2023, fund equipment for career and technical programs in Mississippi public schools. Applicants are public Mississippi secondary school districts.
January 22, 2025 awards (10 high schools and districts), including:
- South Delta Vocational Center, Sharkey County, Industrial Maintenance: $52,750.00.
- Larry Summers Career and Technical Center, Yazoo, Industrial Maintenance: $48,099.35.
- Millsaps Career and Technical Center, Oktibbeha County, Welding: $25,050.00.
- Marshall County Career and Technical Education Center, Marshall County, Advanced Manufacturing: $139,184.00.
- Jackson County Technology Center, Jackson County, Pipefitting and Shipfitting: $28,675.00. This is on the Gulf Coast, outside the proposed cohort footprint.
Target, not awards: the FY2027 RFP (published March 10, 2026) set average awards at $25,000 to $150,000, with Advanced Manufacturing among the priority sectors. Applications were due by 5:00 p.m. CT on Friday, May 8, 2026. That range is a forward-looking average, not what was awarded.
Actual awards: the 2026-27 round (June 15, 2026 release, 25 high schools and school districts) totals $2,192,748.24 across 23 award lines. “Since 2024 … more than $4.2 million” has gone to 60 recipients.
- Grenada School District, Advanced Manufacturing: $102,844.00. Collaborative robotic welding system; stated capacity goes from about 30 to 40 to 60 students.
- Also in the 2026 round: Winona CTC Welding, $55,000; Senatobia-Tate County CTC HVACR, $135,524.08; Lafayette CTC HVACR, $35,357.14; Humphreys County CTC HVACR plus Welding, $53,315.83; Louisville Municipal SD Welding and Industrial Tech, $248,483.00; Alcorn CTC IMM, $91,200; Benton County CTC IMM, $16,157.91; Pascagoula-Gautier/CCTI Metal Fabrication, $51,859.00.
State CTE incentive grant: Miss. Code §37-153-15 sets “Six Hundred Dollars ($600.00)” per student who “earns a qualifying industry certification,” subject to funding. SB 2288 (2026) amends that section “to allow career and technical education incentive grants to be used for purchasing needed equipment.” The act takes effect July 1, 2026.
Next round: not posted. The AccelerateMS RFPs page, under “EquipMS,” says: “We do not have any new documents available at this time.”

Grenada RFQ

Grenada RFQ: Missing. No training or workforce RFQ from the City of Grenada, Grenada County, the Greater Grenada Partnership, or MDA was found.
What exists instead: the City of Grenada’s only open RFP is “Temporary Water Department Management Services,” due May 15, 2026 at noon (past; not training). Grenada County’s “Request for Proposals (RFP): Residential Housing Development” (hosted on the Greater Grenada Partnership site) closed September 16, 2025. It offers developers “tax increment financing (TIF), infrastructure support, and potential land partnerships.” It is developer support, not student aid.
What would fill it: the RFQ number, issuer, and posting URL from the original source.

Other training money on record

Mississippi Reconnect 3.0 (AccelerateMS, rolling): training of “40 to 480 hours (up to 12 weeks)”; participant stipends “may not exceed $10 per hour” (unemployed participants only); on-the-job training reimbursement “up to 50 percent of the participant’s wages for a period not to exceed 8 weeks or 320 hours, with reimbursements capped at $20 per hour.” Priority occupations include CNC Machinists, Manual Machinists, Tool and Die Technicians, Composite Technicians, and Commercial and Industrial Electrical (including Marine Electrical). Eligible applicants: Mississippi local workforce development areas, public community colleges, and institutions of higher learning. Funds go out in order received until exhausted; close date and pool: not posted.
Workforce Enhancement Training (WET) Fund, Modine line (AccelerateMS State-Funded Programs Report, 2026 Quarter 1, Holmes Community College allocation): Modine, 30 participants, $25,000.00 allocated, 0% used, 0 trained. “Grenada College-Led Customized Technical Training” (partners printed include Modine), 12 participants, $9,770.00 allocated, 100% used, 11 trained. Current status: not posted.
Mississippi Apprenticeship Accelerator (MS Works funds): businesses “may be reimbursed an amount equal to 50% of the apprentice’s hourly wage up to a maximum of $3,000.” Initially $2 million for about 300 new registered apprentices, first come, first served. Whether funds remain: not posted.
WIOA Individual Training Accounts (Mississippi): adults “18 years of age or older, a United States citizen or eligible non-citizen, and in compliance with the registration provisions of the Military Selective Service Act.” Being on the state’s training-provider list “does not guarantee that WIOA funds are available.” Individuals start at a Mississippi WIN Job Center. Amount per account: not posted.
Texas Skills Development Fund (Texas Workforce Commission, year round): “Businesses (in partnership with an eligible applicant) can receive up to $500,000 to meet their customized training needs. For a consortium of more than one business, the total grant amount can increase. The average per-trainee cost is $2,400, and the trainees must be full-time, W-2 employees.”
EARN Maryland (Maryland Department of Labor): “a state-funded, competitive workforce development grant program that is industry-led and regionally focused.” A current solicitation and any tie to Arsenal-2: not posted.
Texas: the $30 million Texas Enterprise Fund grant is a “performance-based grant” to SpaceX, not a training or student grant. JETI is a tax program (a 10-year, 50 percent school district maintenance and operations value limitation), not a student grant. Maryland: the up-to-13 percent match is announced, not appropriated. Its new appropriations require approval of both the Maryland General Assembly and the Baltimore County Council.

PhD stage (published programs; no published tie to these yards or plants)

Reported, with no published tie to these yards or plants: Bloomberg Law reported (October 7, 2026) that “The Trump administration is injecting more than $100 million into education programs for American researchers in STEM fields.” Bloomberg Law attributes the aim to a White House official: the initiative “aims to increase the number of highly trained scientific researchers who are American citizens through fellowships for PhD programs in science and engineering disciplines.” Bloomberg Law also reported that “The administration is also resurrecting the National Science Foundation’s Young Scholars program.” Business Standard’s syndicated copy of the same Bloomberg story adds that it “is being revived with $30 million in government funding and an additional $50 million from sources including Wall Street juggernaut Jane Street, the official said” (reported). The Bloomberg News original is not readable: Missing as primary. A White House executive order, fact sheet, or statement: Missing. Inference, labeled as one: no reported part of it names shipyard or fab training.
DOE Genesis Mission Graduate Fellowship Pilot (DE-FOA-0003673, issued October 8, 2026): $100 million total. The funding notice says about 4 to 8 awards of $12 million to $25 million over 60 months; the Grants.gov synopsis lists 5 awards of $20 million. The two records differ, and neither is picked. U.S. doctoral-granting institutions lead. Fellows must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. Webinar November 4, 2026, 4:00 PM ET; university letter of intent November 9, 2026, 5:00 PM ET; full application January 12, 2027, 11:59 PM ET.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (current solicitation NSF 26-526, posted August 25, 2026, replaces NSF 25-547): “NSF provides a $37,000 stipend and a $16,000 Cost of Education allowance” for each of three years over five years; about 1,500 awards. 2026 deadline dates: October 19 (Life Sciences); October 20 (Computer and Information Science and Engineering; Materials Research; Psychology; Social Sciences); October 22 (Engineering); October 23 (Chemistry; Geosciences; Mathematical Sciences; Physics and Astronomy).
- The solicitation (https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/grfp-nsf-graduate-research-fellowship-program/nsf26-526/solicitation) states: “Application Deadline(s) (received by 8 p.m. Eastern Time)” and “Applications are due by 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the deadline date for the selected field of study in the applications. Applications will not be accepted after 8:00 p.m. ET”.
- The NSF GRFP program page (https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/grfp-nsf-graduate-research-fellowship-program, last updated October 2, 2026) states both: “Due by 5pm submitting organization’s local time” and “Application Deadline(s): received by 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) for all applications on each deadline date.”
- Both pages print 8 p.m. ET. The program page also prints a 5 p.m. submitting-organization local-time line, which the solicitation does not. Neither is picked.
DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship: “$45,000 annual stipend; payment of full tuition and fees,” renewable up to four years, with a 12-week DOE laboratory practicum. Open to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (undergraduate seniors and first-year graduate students). Deadline: not posted.

Missing money

A student relocation stipend or housing grant for Arsenal-2, Terafab, or Modine: Missing. Press only: the Grenada Star (reprinted September 9, 2026 on Sen. Hyde-Smith’s page) reports that the Greater Grenada Partnership selected Knight Development as a development partner for a phased workforce housing initiative. That is not student aid.
A PhD seat tied to Arsenal-2, Terafab, or Modine: Missing.
A private foundation page funding Mississippi training for these sites: Missing.
An open U.S. Department of Labor competitive training grant on Grants.gov: Missing.

7. The return path, marked as a proposal, not a contract

This section is a proposal. It is not a contract. No company, college, or agency has agreed to it. It is not a funded seat, a signed placement, a wage promise, or a promise of success.

Proposed Delta and North Mississippi cohort (Arsenal-2 trades)

Step one, proposed: pre-welding training at community colleges in the Mississippi Delta and North Mississippi (the colleges listed in Section 2).
Step two, proposed: an 18-month work rotation in Maryland tied to the Arsenal-2 trades in Section 3.
The 18-month length is a proposal. It is not an Ingalls Apprentice School program and does not lead to an Ingalls journeyman credential, which requires 6,000 or 8,000 hours depending on craft.
Funding: Missing. No funding source has been secured or published.
Pay, stipend, housing, and travel for the Maryland rotation: Missing. None has been published by Anduril, Ingalls, or any agency.
Employer commitment to hire cohort graduates: Missing. Anduril has not published one.
Credential or college credit for the proposed 18-month Maryland rotation: Missing.

Manufacturing branch (proposed tie to Terafab and SpaceX)

This branch is a proposal. There is no signed Mississippi placement with Terafab or SpaceX, and no wage, grant, or contract terms have been published for it. SpaceX has made no published commitment to, partnership with, or endorsement of this proposal.
Signed placement: Missing.
Wage: Missing.
Grant: Missing.
Preferred contract: Missing.

Proposed steps for one person, using what exists today

Start with a published program: the Grenada School District’s Advanced Manufacturing class with Holmes (no feeder agreement is on the record), Holmes Grenada welding or electro-mechanical technology, or a Workforce Pell short program. Workforce Pell is federal aid as of July 1, 2026; each Mississippi program still needs state and federal approval.
Apply to posted SpaceX production roles at Bastrop and Starbase, Modine’s Grenada Unit Builder postings, or Anduril’s Arsenal-2 role families. No sponsor has published a state quota. Check the citizenship and clearance rules in Section 8 first.
A PhD step would be the fellowship track Bloomberg Law reported. No solicitation is published. It is not a continuation contract from a yard or a plant. The published PhD-stage programs are listed in Section 6.
Return-to-supplier grants, preferred contracts, cohort size, housing, and a training wage: Missing until a company or agency publishes them.

Published paths from a community college to a degree (no tie to these yards or plants)

“Mississippi’s community colleges have articulation agreements with all Mississippi public four-year colleges and universities and with Millsaps College.” Also: “most students can transfer up to one-half of the hours required for a bachelor’s degree.”
MSU Engineering on the Coast: “Students may complete up to 64 hours of coursework at any community college … before enrolling in the electrical, mechanical, or industrial and systems engineering programs” in Gautier.
Hinds Electronics Technology lists a path to a “Bachelors of Science Degree in Electronics Engineering Technology”: two years at the Raymond Campus, then two years at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Alcorn pre-engineering: “complete the first two years of an engineering degree at Alcorn and then transfer.”
Mississippi PhD programs in engineering exist at Mississippi State (Bagley College: “12 master’s and 12 doctoral degree options”), Ole Miss (“M.S. or Ph.D. in Engineering Science from our 7 departments”), Jackson State (PhD in Engineering), and Southern Miss (Polymer Science and Engineering doctorate). None is tied to Arsenal-2, Terafab, or Modine.
The statewide articulation agreement served by the state’s transfer tool is dated “September 2019 - August 2021”. A current-dated version: Missing.

Rules a work-study step would have to meet (published federal rules; no agreement exists)

A private for-profit employer may host Federal Work-Study students under a written agreement and “must provide the non-Federal share of the student’s compensation.” “The Federal share of the compensation paid to a student employed by a private for-profit organization may not exceed 50 percent.”
“An institution may use up to 25 percent of its FWS allocation and reallocation for an award year to pay the compensation of FWS students employed by a private for-profit organization.”
The work “must be academically relevant to the student’s educational program, to the maximum extent practicable.”
The student must have “financial need as determined in accordance with part F of title IV of the HEA.”
The pay floor is the federal minimum wage; a subminimum or training wage is not permitted. “If a state or local law requires a higher minimum wage, the school must pay the FWS student that higher wage.”
“A school may use its FWS Program funds to pay the training wages for otherwise eligible FWS students employed as apprentices, even when the apprenticeship is not part of the student’s eligible academic program.”
Any such arrangement is proposed only. No school or employer agreement has been sourced.

Sources: https://hii.com/careers/ingalls-apprentice-school ; https://www.anduril.com/news/anduril-u-s-navy-invest-usd6-6-billion-to-expand-america-s-submarine-industrial-base ; https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-announces-spacex-expansion-in-grimes-county ; https://www.spacex.com/sites ; https://www.grenadak12.com/about-us/news/news-details/~board/gctc-news-24-25/post/grenada-students-explore-advanced-manufacturing-at-modine ; https://holmescc.edu/career-technical/welding-and-cutting-technology/ ; https://holmescc.edu/career-technical/industrial-mechanics-maintenance-technology/ ; https://governorreeves.ms.gov/governor-reeves-announces-mississippi-accepting-workforce-pell-applications/ ; https://www.spacex.com/careers/jobs ; https://careers.modine.com/job/Grenada-Unit-Builder-Indoor-MS-38901/1437842600/ ; https://www.anduril.com/arsenal/arsenal-2 ; https://news.bloomberglaw.com/in-house-counsel/white-house-makes-100-million-push-to-train-american-scientists ; https://www.mccb.edu/programs/academics/articulation-university-transfer ; https://www.bagley.msstate.edu/coast/ ; https://www.hindscc.edu/pathways/acmt/electronics-technology ; https://www.alcorn.edu/academics/schools-and-departments/caas/department-of-advanced-technologies/ ; https://catalog.msstate.edu/graduate/colleges-degree-programs/engineering/ ; https://engineering.olemiss.edu/academics-admissions/graduate-programs/ ; https://www.jsums.edu/gip/ph-d-in-engineering/ ; https://www.usm.edu/graduate-programs/polymer-science-engineering.php ; https://matttransfertool.com/ReportOutput/ArticulationAgreement.pdf ; https://www.ecfr.gov/api/renderer/v1/content/enhanced/current/title-34?part=675 ; https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/fsa-handbook/2026-2027/vol6/ch2-federal-work-study-program

8. Legal and permitting

This is a plain-language map of published rules, not legal advice. Each rule applies only if the facts of a specific placement fit it; counsel should confirm before any trainee starts work.

Youth work rules (for any work-study or under-18 role)

Federal: the FLSA sets 16 as the general minimum age and 18 for any job the Secretary of Labor declares “particularly hazardous”.
Ages 14 and 15 may not work in manufacturing, processing, or mining workplaces, may not run hoisting apparatus, and may not run most power-driven machinery (29 CFR 570.33, subject to § 570.34).
Hazardous Occupations Orders most likely to touch shipyard, fab, or plant work for 16- and 17-year-olds:
- HO 5: power-driven woodworking machines.
- HO 7: power-driven hoisting apparatus, including cranes. The text lists no apprentice or student-learner exemption.
- HO 8: power-driven metal forming, punching, and shearing machines. Apprentice and student-learner exemption available.
- HO 14: circular saws, band saws, guillotine shears, and abrasive cutting discs. Apprentice and student-learner exemption available.
- HO 15: wrecking, demolition, and shipbreaking, meaning the razing or dismantling of a ship. It does not name shipbuilding, and the text lists no exemption.
- HO 16 (roofing) and HO 17 (excavation) cover site-construction tasks.
There is no order titled for welding. Welding jobs can still involve listed equipment, such as cranes (HO 7), shears (HO 8), and abrasive cutting discs (HO 14).
The apprentice exemption applies only when all four conditions are met: the craft is apprenticeable; the hazardous work is incidental to training; the work is intermittent, brief, and closely supervised by a journeyman; and the apprentice is registered with DOL or a recognized State Apprenticeship Agency.
The student-learner exemption needs enrollment in a cooperative vocational program under a state or local education authority, and a written agreement signed by the employer and the school.
Where a state or local rule is stricter, the stricter rule controls.
Mississippi: no child under 14 may work in any mill, cannery, workshop, factory, or manufacturing establishment. For a child under 16, the employer must keep the parent’s affidavit and the school’s certificate. Ages 14 and 15: no more than 8 hours a day or 44 hours a week, and no work between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. (statute text from an unofficial mirror). If a minor is injured in a listed hazardous occupation, the Workers’ Compensation Commission may order double compensation.
Maryland: every minor under 18 needs a work permit, issued only after a job offer. The Commissioner may permit otherwise restricted work if a county school system obtains and supervises it as part of a work-study or student-learner program. Ages 16 and 17 may spend no more than 12 combined school and work hours a day. Workers under 18 must be paid at least 85% of the state minimum wage (Maryland Department of Labor, accessed October 8, 2026).
Texas: the minimum age is 14, with limited exceptions. TWC adopts the federal hazardous-occupation rules for ages 16 and 17.
Missing: an employer task list for any under-18 role, checked against the hazardous orders; a Maryland ruling on whether a Mississippi school’s work-study program qualifies; an official (not mirror) copy of Miss. Code §§ 71-1-17 to -33.

Registered apprenticeship

Mississippi and Texas use the federal Office of Apprenticeship. Maryland has a recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, housed in its Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning.
If the sponsor asks, a State Apprenticeship Agency must give reciprocal approval to programs registered in other states. The sponsor must then meet the receiving state’s wage, hour, and apprentice-ratio standards.
Completing a Maryland-approved or Office of Apprenticeship-approved electrician apprenticeship (at least 576 classroom hours and 8,000 work hours) waives the experience requirement for Maryland’s journeyperson exam, if the certificate is under two years old.
Missing: a published Registered Apprenticeship sponsor or program for Anduril at Arsenal-2, for Terafab or SpaceX in Texas, or for Modine Grenada.

Pay law and licenses across state lines

Pay law follows the work state (DOL Wage and Hour Division state table, updated July 1, 2026): Maryland $15.00 an hour, overtime after 40 hours a week; Texas adopts the federal $7.25 by reference; Mississippi has no state minimum-wage law, and FLSA-covered employers pay $7.25.
Texas electrician reciprocity covers journeymen from AL, AK, AR, ID, IA, NE, NM, OK, SD, and WY only. Mississippi and Maryland are not on the list.
Maryland’s journeyperson exam requires four years under a Maryland master electrician, or the apprenticeship waiver above.
Maryland electrician reciprocity: two official pages of the Maryland State Board of Electricians differ. Both are shown; neither is picked.
- The Board’s “Licensing Applications” page lists journeyperson reciprocity with Virginia (license “obtained by apprenticeship or exam”), Delaware (by exam), and the District of Columbia (by exam).
- The Board’s “how to apply” page says “The State of Maryland currently only reciprocates a journeyman license with the State of Virginia”. The same page also says “Currently there are no provisions to reciprocate a journeyperson license obtained out of state”.
- Neither page shows a date that tells which is newer. Neither lists Mississippi or Texas. Which page is current: Missing.
Mississippi’s statewide electrician licensing status, from a Mississippi state agency source: Missing.
EPA 608 is a federal certification, and “Section 608 Technician Certification credentials do not expire.”
WIOA “supportive services” may include transportation, housing help, needs-related payments, and fees for certification tests. Each local workforce board sets its own policy. A Mississippi policy that pays out-of-state relocation: Missing.
Trade Adjustment Assistance has relocation allowances, but it entered phase-out on July 1, 2022, and DOL may not certify new petitions.
Maryland regulates fee-charging employment agencies and their placement fees. A plain reading, not COMAR text: whether a referral role would count as one depends on whether a fee is charged.

Export control and citizenship

Under ITAR, “export” includes releasing technical data to a foreign person inside the United States. A “U.S. person” includes a lawful permanent resident or a protected individual.
The U.S. Munitions List covers “submarines specially designed for military use” in Category XX. Anduril says Arsenal-2 will build components and assemblies for Virginia-class submarines. Which Arsenal-2 parts and data are ITAR-controlled: Missing; only Anduril or the State Department can determine it.
Under the EAR, releasing “technology” or source code to a foreign person in the U.S. is a “deemed export” to that person’s most recent country of citizenship or permanent residency.
SpaceX postings (all Texas postings, including the Terafab-labelled ones) require that the applicant “must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State”.
An Anduril “Welder/Fabricator, Maritime” posting in Santa Ana, California (not Arsenal-2) says: “Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities” and “Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance”.
Modine’s Export Compliance Statement: “Depending upon the job position being applied for, an export license, including deemed export license, may be required in order for the applicant to perform his or her job duties. Any offer of employment shall be contingent upon Modine’s receipt of any and all necessary export licenses that may be required by U.S law.” It also lists screening against federal denied-party lists. It does not name a Grenada role.

Security clearances

The government decides eligibility. The contractor must first determine that access is essential to performing a classified contract.
Clearance requests “will not be used to establish a cache of cleared employees”.
A non-citizen may get only a Limited Access Authorization, “in those rare circumstances where a non-U.S. citizen possesses unique or unusual skills or expertise that is urgently needed to support a specific USG contract involving access to specified classified information, and a cleared or clearable U.S. citizen is not readily available”.
“The security clearance process begins when a company determines that an employee or candidate for employment requires a personnel security clearance.” Interim clearances require, among other things, “Proof of U.S. citizenship”.
A training program cannot get or promise a clearance for a trainee. Only a hiring cleared contractor with a classified-contract need can start the process.
Missing: whether Arsenal-2 production roles will require a clearance, and an official processing time.

Build-site permits on public record

Arsenal-2: no Arsenal-2 permit application or number was found on the Maryland Department of the Environment Sparrows Point page, on USACE Baltimore District public notices, or on the federal Permitting Dashboard. Missing: MDE air, stormwater, and tidal wetlands licenses; a USACE permit for the 1,200-foot graving dock; Baltimore County building and grading approvals.
Tradepoint site records (the property, not Arsenal-2): EPA RCRA ID MDD053945432; Tradepoint Atlantic Wetlands License No. 13-0966 (R2), listed for maintenance dredging sediment results. The Sparrows Point Container Terminal, a separate Tradepoint project, finished federal review and permitting on 12/16/2025. It is not Arsenal-2.
Baltimore County’s MH (Manufacturing, Heavy) zone allows industrial assembly and production and boat yards by right. The zoning class of the Arsenal-2 parcel: Missing.
Terafab: the JETI agreements are tax agreements, not permits. The Comptroller’s “Current JETI Agreements” page lists eight agreements for TeraFab AI, LLC (J0035 to J0038, Anderson-Shiro CISD; J0039 to J0042, Iola ISD). A TCEQ air, water, or waste permit application for Terafab, and Grimes County development approvals: Missing.
Starbase, Texas: TCEQ received an application for TPDES Permit No. WQ0005462000 (Starbase Launch Pad Site, Cameron County) on July 1, 2024. At its February 13, 2025 meeting, the Commission recorded “Issue the draft permit, as recommended by the Executive Director”. The FAA’s final environmental assessment (May 12, 2025) covers “up to 25 annual launches”.
Bastrop, Texas: on September 16, 2026, TCEQ issued an “Amended Notice of Application and Preliminary Decision” for Permit Number 182733, a Small Business Stationary Source permit for Aluminum Furnaces, naming Space Exploration Technologies Corp., 858 FM 1209, Bastrop. This is a preliminary decision, not a final permit. TCEQ’s PBR registration 176369 names the site “STARLINK FACTORY BASTROP” at the same address.
Florida: the FAA’s final EIS and Record of Decision for Starship at LC-39A (February 3, 2026) covers “Up to 44 Starship-Super Heavy launches per year”. For SLC-37, the FAA’s Notice of Intent (September 29, 2026) says “The proposed operations would include up to 76 Starship-Super Heavy launches and up to 152 landings per year”. That is proposed, not an approval.
xAI Southaven, Mississippi (MDEQ, MZX Tech LLC, 2875 Stanton Road): Air-Construction PSD 0680-00119, issued 03/11/2026. Water pretreatment MSP092491, status “Additional Information Requested from Applicant” (07/09/2026). An MDEQ hearing notice: Missing.
xAI Memphis: Shelby County Health Department Construction Permit 01156-01PC, reported issued July 2, 2025. The department’s public notice (posted online April 6, 2026; the notice is dated “Apr. 7, 2026”) says CTC Property LLC “has requested to convert Construction Permit No. 01156-01PC to an operating permit,” cutting turbines “from 15 to 12”.
Modine Grenada (existing plants; MDEQ enSearch):
- OEM Plant (AI 886, 3984 Highway 51 South): Title V permit 0960-00014, issued 03/30/2020, with an end date of 02/28/2025; the renewal shows “Application Determined Complete - Draft Permit Preparation in Progress” (09/11/2026). NPDES MS0001368, issued 09/01/2023. Pretreatment MSP090604, issued 03/14/2025. Baseline general permit coverage MSR110125, issued 08/17/2021.
- CCP and LAL Facilities (AI 875, 1000 Heatcraft Drive): Pretreatment MSP090730, issued 01/05/2023. Baseline coverage MSR110124, issued 02/02/2021. The synthetic minor operating permit 0960-00030 renewal shows “Application Withdrawn” (12/12/2024).
- enSearch also shows end dates of 11/30/2025 for the MSR baseline coverages, so “Active” should not be overread.
- On both MDEQ pages, the status column for the pretreatment renewal reads “Revoke Permit”, while the same permit number is listed under “Active Permits Available Online”. The page does not explain this. MDEQ says enSearch “is not a legal substitute for the official administrative files”.
- Which Grenada plant houses the data-center cooling line, and what the “Revoke Permit” label means: Missing.

Licensing for anyone who trains or places people

Mississippi: the Commission on Proprietary School and College Registration, under the Mississippi Community College Board, administers Miss. Code Title 75, Chapter 60. A school “may not operate until the certificate is in effect”.
- Costs: a $2,500 application fee, a $500 agent license fee, a school bond plus an agent bond, and a $25 packet fee.
- “All initial applicants must provide the minimum required bond for their first year of operation in the amount of $50,000.” After that, the minimum rises with gross annual tuition, up to $200,000 over $5 million.
- Exemptions: the MCCB page lists “Employer-based training programs offered exclusively to employees”. The statute (§ 75-60-5) reads “Tuition-free courses or schools conducted by employers exclusively for their own employees”.
Maryland: an institution of postsecondary education may not “commence or continue to operate, do business, or function without a certificate of approval” from the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
Texas: career schools need a TWC certificate of approval under Tex. Educ. Code Chapter 132 and 40 TAC Chapter 807.
WIOA: only a provider on the state Eligible Training Provider List can be paid through a WIOA Individual Training Account. Eligible types include “Institutions of higher education that provide a program which leads to a recognized postsecondary credential”, Registered Apprenticeship programs, and other public or private providers.
Any registration, exemption, approval, or ETPL listing for BRIK Creative, LLC: none exists. Missing.

Student and worker data

A school must have signed, dated written consent before disclosing personally identifiable information from education records, unless a § 99.31 exception applies. The consent must name the records, the purpose, and the recipients.
Directory information may be disclosed without consent after public notice and a chance to opt out.
An exception that covers sending grades or transcripts to a prospective employer: none found. Counsel confirmation: Missing.
States use quarterly wage records, including interstate wages, to measure WIOA performance. The State Wage Interchange System agreement governs sharing wage data across states.
Maryland may release a work-permit holder’s name, address, and phone (age 16 and up) to registered organizations only if the minor or a parent opts in.

Maryland approvals for the up-to-13% match

Baltimore County Bill 100-26, “Personal Property Tax Credits for Eligible Maritime Manufacturing Property”, was introduced October 5, 2026. Work sessions are Tuesday, October 13 and Tuesday, October 27, 2026, both at 4 p.m. Final reading and vote are set for Monday, November 2, 2026 at 6 p.m.
The bill is marked “By Request of County Executive”. It would add § 11-2-115, “Maritime Manufacturing Property Tax Credit”, providing a “property tax credit of 100% against all county personal property taxes” on eligible maritime manufacturing property in Foreign-Trade Zone No. 74, for 30 years from the date a taxpayer first claims it (capitalization normalized). The bill text does not name Anduril.
WYPR reported (October 6, 2026): “According to officials, Baltimore County’s portion will be a personal property tax break of up to $210 million over 30 years.” WYPR ties the tax-credit legislation to the Anduril project.
A fiscal note for Bill 100-26: Missing. A Maryland General Assembly bill or budget item for the state share: Missing.

9. Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions a participant, a parent, or a partner would ask next. Each answer uses only lines already sourced in Sections 1 to 8. Status: 1 answered, 17 partly answered, 2 Missing.

1. Is there actually a seat for a Mississippian today, and where? Partly answered.

Why it matters: a program that recruits people needs somewhere real to send them.
No reserved seat exists anywhere, and Arsenal-2 has no postings yet. People can apply to open public postings at other sites: SpaceX Texas (1,069), Anduril McHenry, Mississippi (38), xAI Southaven and Memphis (164 on xAI’s board), and Modine Grenada’s two Unit Builder postings. The five Terafab-labelled postings are in Bastrop and College Station; none is a fab-floor technician job at Grimes County yet.
Missing: a published employer or state program reserving seats; Arsenal-2 postings.

2. Who pays for the move? Missing.

Why it matters: a move to Maryland or Texas is the largest cost a participant faces. Nobody should start one on an assumption.
No one has published that they pay it. A sponsored move, stipend, or return grant is in no primary release, and no grant on record pays relocation.
WIOA supportive services may include transportation, housing help, and needs-related payments, and each local board sets its own policy. MDES WIOA Policy 30 lists “Assistance with transportation” and “Assistance with housing” but never names out-of-state relocation.
Trade Adjustment Assistance has relocation allowances, but it is in phase-out and DOL may not certify new petitions.
Texas Skills Development Fund trainees “must be full-time, W-2 employees.” An inference, not a quote: that pays the business’s training costs, not a move.
Missing: a relocation policy from Anduril, SpaceX, or Modine; a Mississippi workforce board policy that pays out-of-state relocation.

3. Where would people live, and who arranges or pays for housing? Missing.

Why it matters: an 18-month rotation or a new-hire move fails fast without housing.
No housing help for participants is on record at any site. The $8.5 million community college grant names no housing or out-of-state cost.
The closest official items help developers, not workers: Grenada County’s housing RFP offered developers “tax increment financing (TIF), infrastructure support, and potential land partnerships” (closed September 16, 2025). Press only: the Greater Grenada Partnership picked Knight Development for workforce housing.
Maryland’s Center of Excellence is a workforce training facility at a “to-be-determined site at or near Tradepoint Atlantic.” It is not housing.
Missing: employer housing policies; any Maryland or Texas housing program for out-of-state trainees; primary terms of the Grenada workforce-housing project.

4. Who holds the production risk: the employer, the program, BRIK, or the participant? Partly answered.

Why it matters: if a yard or plant underperforms, someone absorbs the loss. That should never be a trainee who moved.
Anduril says its Navy contract is “of up to $2.9 billion, with payments tied directly to demonstrated production outcomes,” and “Anduril, not the taxpayer, takes on the majority of the execution risk.” This is Anduril’s claim.
Terafab: the JETI agreement requires an average of 10 jobs a year. KBTX reported that no penalties apply if SpaceX reaches 90 percent of the county goals; the agreement text is Missing.
No placement or partnership exists. Nothing on record addresses a participant’s risk: job loss, an unpaid move, or a broken lease.
Missing: the employment terms a participant would sign; any program-level protection such as return-travel or layoff terms.

5. What happens if a build slips, shrinks, moves, or is cancelled? Partly answered.

Why it matters: every one of these builds is announced, not finished. A cohort timed to a yard or plant that is not hiring has no seat.
Arsenal-2: “Initial operations are expected to come online in 2030” (Anduril). Construction starts once approvals are in place, and no Arsenal-2 permit is on record. Defense One reported a groundbreaking “by early 2027”.
Maryland money is not final. The up-to-13% match needs Maryland General Assembly and Baltimore County Council approval. Bill 100-26 has work sessions on October 13 and October 27, 2026, and a vote on November 2, 2026. Its text does not name Anduril; WYPR ties it to the project. No state bill was found.
Terafab: the JETI agreement schedules construction for December 1, 2026 to December 31, 2028. No primary source confirms ground has broken. No Terafab permits are on record. The Statesman headline reads “could move Terafab without them” (reported).
Modine: the plant already exists. As of October 29, 2025, it was “currently producing on two of” five chiller lines.
Missing: each employer’s hiring timeline; permit filings; the executed Grimes County agreement text; the Bill 100-26 fiscal note.

6. Who is shut out by citizenship, export-control, or clearance rules? Partly answered.

Why it matters: for defense and fab work this is the first screen. Recruiting someone who cannot legally hold the job wastes their time.
Most of these jobs require “U.S. person” status, some require citizenship, and some require a clearance only an employer can start. A training program cannot get or promise a clearance.
SpaceX: all 1,069 Texas postings and all 43 SpaceX-board Memphis postings carry the export clause (Section 8).
Anduril: the most common gate appears in 234 of 2,477 postings; 28 require citizenship. At McHenry, 16 carry the U.S. Person clause, 2 require citizenship, and 15 mention a clearance.
Modine: 17 of 18 fetched postings are not eligible for visa sponsorship, and Modine’s Export Compliance Statement makes any offer “contingent” on any needed export license.
xAI: 0 of 117 shared Southaven and Memphis postings carry the export clause.
Navy-yard apprenticeship reference (federal yards, not Anduril): “Must be a U.S. citizen”.
Missing: whether Arsenal-2 production roles will need a clearance; an official processing time; the ITAR classification of Arsenal-2 work.

7. Can minors (under 18) work or train on these sites? Partly answered.

Why it matters: shipyard, fab, and plant floors are where youth labor rules bite hardest. A mistake here is a child-safety failure.
At 16 and 17, only narrowly and only with paperwork. At 14 and 15, essentially no manufacturing floor. Plan on adults unless an employer publishes a compliant program.
The exemptions need either a registered apprentice whose hazardous work is incidental, brief, and supervised, or a student-learner with a written employer-school agreement. No registered apprenticeship sponsor is on record at Arsenal-2, Terafab or SpaceX, or Modine.
Maryland’s work-study exception is written for a “county school system”. Whether a Mississippi school qualifies: Missing (no ruling published).
WIOA adult training accounts start at 18.
The federal and state rules are in Section 8.
Missing: employer task lists for any under-18 role; a Maryland ruling on out-of-state work-study; registered apprenticeship sponsors at the sites.

8. Can “work-study at the build site” legally be paid for, and by whom? Partly answered.

Why it matters: Federal Work-Study has hard rules for private employers.
Yes, in principle, through a college’s Federal Work-Study program, but the employer pays at least half and a written agreement is required. None exists. The rules are in Section 7.
Missing: a college that would run it and an employer willing to sign.

9. What can a person actually do this month? Partly answered.

Why it matters: people will ask what to do on Monday. The honest answer is small, real steps, not a promised seat.
Five steps someone can start in October 2026. Some of the courses named begin later.
1. Apply where a live posting exists: Modine Grenada Unit Builder (Req 10644 and 10585), SpaceX Texas postings, Anduril McHenry postings. Check the citizenship and clearance gates first.
2. Go to a WIN Job Center. WIOA training accounts require contacting a WIN Job Center and are for adults 18 and older. Grenada WIN Job Center: 662-226-2911.
3. Enroll in a published short course or program: NEMCC workforce Structural Welding (November 9, 2026 to January 22, 2027, $149); SMCC workforce Pipe Fitting Level I (Spring 2027, $1,000); credit welding and electro-mechanical technology at Holmes’s Grenada campus.
4. High school students: CTE dual credit is open to “sophomores or above with at least a 2.0 GPA and school approval.”
5. Seniors and graduate students headed for a PhD: NSF Graduate Research Fellowship deadlines fall October 19 to 23, 2026, by field. The two NSF pages differ on time of day (Section 6).
Missing: registration deadlines and open seats; Mississippi Workforce Pell programs with federal approval.

10. Which credentials matter, and who pays for the training? Partly answered.

Why it matters: training someone into a credential no employer asks for wastes months.
Postings name specific certificates: AWS weld tests, the AWS Certified Welding Inspector, EPA 608 or “EPA Refrigerant Handling Certification”, NCCER industrial licenses, IPC/WHMA-A-620, and ASNT NDE levels.
Navy-yard apprenticeship guidelines are “generally four years,” with 7,200 on-the-job hours and at least 576 hours of related instruction.
Who pays: Workforce Pell (approved programs, 8 to under 15 weeks); WIOA Individual Training Accounts; Reconnect 3.0 (stipends for unemployed participants only); the WET Fund (employer-requested training); the Apprenticeship Accelerator (reimburses employers, not trainees); the Texas Skills Development Fund (employers’ W-2 staff); and a $600 state CTE incentive per high school student who earns a qualifying certification, subject to funding.
Missing: the Workforce Pell amount per student; Arsenal-2’s required certificates.

11. Will a Mississippi license or certificate carry over to Maryland or Texas? Partly answered.

Why it matters: a licensed Mississippi electrician who moves may not be licensed on arrival.
Not for electricians, on the pages read. Texas reciprocity does not list Mississippi or Maryland. The two Maryland Board pages differ and neither lists Mississippi or Texas (Section 8).
EPA 608 certification does not expire. Whether an out-of-state employer accepts a Mississippi-earned certificate: Missing.

12. What will the pay be, and will it cover the cost of living there? Partly answered.

Why it matters: a move only makes sense if pay beats the cost of living at the site.
Published pay, each with its source and date, is listed in Sections 3, 4, and 5. Pay that is not published stays Missing, including any training wage.
Legal minimums: Maryland $15.00 an hour, with overtime after 40; Texas and Mississippi $7.25; Maryland workers under 18 at least 85% of the state minimum.
The Terafab figure is a required average across the 10 jobs a year the JETI agreement requires. It is not a wage for 3,000 jobs.
Missing: cost-of-living data for Baltimore County, Grimes County, Bastrop, and Starbase from a primary federal or state index; SpaceX Texas trade pay.

13. Will there be drug tests, background checks, or other screening? Partly answered.

Why it matters: a failed screen after a move is the worst time to learn about it.
Some postings say so. An xAI Data Center Operations Technician posting says “subject to pre-employment drug and random drug and alcohol testing”. An xAI Fiber Technician posting says “pre-employment and annual post employment background checks”. Interim clearances need “Proof of U.S. citizenship”. Modine screens against federal denied-party lists. WIOA adults must comply with Selective Service registration.
Missing: screening policies for Arsenal-2, SpaceX Texas production roles, and Modine Grenada.

14. Transportation, childcare, and support while someone trains or works away. Partly answered.

Why it matters: an 18-month rotation would leave family at home.
Federal WIOA rules allow transportation, housing help, needs-related payments, and certification-test fees, set by each local board. Grenada (Mississippi Partnership area) and Holmes County (Delta area) have different local boards, so support rules may differ by where someone lives.
Missing: each local board’s supportive-services policy, including childcare; commute and distance data.

15. Which grants actually fund this, and which are only signals? Answered.

Why it matters: announcements look like money. Most of them are not money a trainee can use.
On record: the $8,544,213 DOL community college grant (awarded; intake through the 15 colleges, process not posted); Workforce Pell (live since July 1, 2026); Reconnect 3.0 (rolling); the WET Fund (current status not posted); the Apprenticeship Accelerator (whether funds remain not posted); WIOA training accounts; EquipMS (public school districts only; next round not posted).
Employer deals, not training aid: the $30 million Texas Enterprise Fund grant “has been extended to SpaceX”; JETI is a school-tax limitation; the Maryland up-to-13% match needs Maryland General Assembly and Baltimore County Council approval.
Signals only: the reported $100 million-plus STEM push (Section 6). No solicitation is published.
Not on record: relocation or housing grants, a PhD seat tied to these sites, foundation money, a Grenada RFQ.

16. What is BRIK Creative’s role, and what comes with each role? Partly answered.

Why it matters: “publisher,” “recruiter,” and “training provider” carry very different legal duties.
Today BRIK Creative is the publisher of a proposal, with no posted role in any grant. Becoming a recruiter or trainer would trigger licensing, fee, and data rules: Mississippi proprietary school registration, Maryland Higher Education Commission approval, Texas TWC career-school approval, and an ETPL listing for WIOA payment. None exists for BRIK Creative.
Maryland regulates fee-charging employment agencies; a plain reading, not COMAR text, is that a referral role would count depending on whether a fee is charged. Texas and Mississippi agency rules: Missing.
BRIK Creative cannot get or promise a clearance.
Missing: counsel’s view on whether any planned activity would make BRIK Creative an employment agency or training provider in Mississippi, Maryland, or Texas.

17. Who sees participant data, and with what consent? Partly answered.

Why it matters: sending a student’s grades or a worker’s details to an employer, especially across state lines, has legal limits.
A school needs signed, specific consent before sharing education records with an employer. Workforce wage data moves through government systems, not through BRIK Creative (Section 8).
Missing: BRIK Creative’s own participant-data policy; counsel confirmation that no exception covers sending grades to an employer.

18. Would AUDIE duplicate or collide with Mississippi programs already running? Partly answered.

Why it matters: Grenada and Modine already have training running through state channels.
Yes, there is overlap at Modine. Six Modine employees finished a year-long Holmes evening industrial maintenance program, the fifth cohort since Fall 2020. The WET Fund allocates $25,000 for 30 Modine participants, with 0% used as of the report.
AccelerateMS is the Mississippi Workforce Pell coordinator, issues Reconnect 3.0, funds the Apprenticeship Accelerator, runs EquipMS, and is partnering on the $8.5 million grant. “AccelerateMS is assisting with workforce training programs” for Modine is stated by the Greater Grenada Partnership and Business Facilities, not by MDA.
Grenada School District runs an Advanced Manufacturing class with Holmes. No feeder agreement is on the record.
Job Corps centers operate in Batesville, Gulfport, and Crystal Springs.
Missing: whether any of these programs would accept or refer AUDIE participants; the terms of any Grenada School District and Holmes local articulation.

19. Who checks employer and official claims before a participant relies on them? Partly answered.

Why it matters: job numbers in announcements vary widely.
Each claim on this page is checked against its primary page, and the checks show the numbers are soft. Terafab has five different job figures (Section 4). For Arsenal-2, 3,100 direct is the figure both primary sources give; indirect counts vary (Section 3).
Earlier claims of a “Welder Certified” posting at Modine and of “Data Center HVAC Technician” as a Grenada job were struck.
Missing: an independent hiring commitment from any employer. Nothing on record binds Anduril, SpaceX, or Modine to hire from Mississippi.

20. Is the PhD step real? Partly answered.

Why it matters: presenting a pipeline that does not exist would mislead students.
PhD programs and fellowships exist, but no published source ties a plant or yard job to a PhD. Real options: the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (October 19 to 23, 2026); the DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (deadline not posted); the DOE Genesis fellowship pilot (needs a university lead; letter of intent due November 9, 2026); and Mississippi PhD programs at Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Jackson State, and Southern Miss (Sections 6 and 7).
Missing: a PhD seat tied to Arsenal-2, Terafab, or Modine.

Five to settle first (ranked by risk)

The citizenship, export, and clearance screen. Recruiting people who cannot legally hold these jobs is the fastest way to harm them. AUDIE cannot promise a clearance.
Minors on site. No under-18 role should be proposed until an employer publishes a task list and a registered apprenticeship or a signed student-learner agreement exists.
Move and housing are unfunded. Nothing on record pays either, so no one should be steered into a move.
BRIK Creative’s role. Publisher only, or recruiter or trainer? Each step up triggers licensing, employment-agency, and student-data duties.
Timing against unbuilt sites. Arsenal-2 has 0 postings and no permits on record, and Anduril expects initial operations in 2030. Terafab is scheduled to build through 2028. Maryland money awaits Maryland General Assembly and Baltimore County Council votes.

Sources: https://boards-api.greenhouse.io/v1/boards/spacex/jobs?content=true ; https://boards-api.greenhouse.io/v1/boards/andurilindustries/jobs?content=true ; https://boards-api.greenhouse.io/v1/boards/xai/jobs?content=true ; https://careers.modine.com/job/Grenada-Unit-Builder-Indoor-MS-38901/1437842600/ ; https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-20/section-680.900 ; https://mdes.ms.gov/media/490039/30_policy-30-adult-and-dw-supportive-service-policy.pdf ; https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-20/section-618.400 ; https://www.twc.texas.gov/programs/skills-development-fund ; https://governorreeves.ms.gov/mississippi-deploying-8-5-million-to-strengthen-workforce-pell-training/ ; https://greatergrenada.com/images/uploads/Grenada-County-Housing-RFP-2025-Final.pdf ; https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/housing-deck-knight-development-poised-help-grenada-county-grow ; https://commerce.maryland.gov/press-room/anduril-industries-invest-37b-create-over-3100-jobs-new-shipbuilding-facility ; https://www.anduril.com/news/anduril-u-s-navy-invest-usd6-6-billion-to-expand-america-s-submarine-industrial-base ; https://assets.comptroller.texas.gov/open-data/jeti/J0035/J0035-terafabai-anderson-shiro-agmt.pdf ; https://www.kbtx.com/2026/06/06/grimes-county-officially-releases-spacex-terafab-agreement-documents/ ; https://www.defenseone.com/business/2026/10/anduril-wades-traditional-shipbuilding-arena-major-submarine-play/416459/ ; https://countycouncil.baltimorecountymd.gov/pending-legislation/ ; https://www.wypr.org/wypr-news/2026-10-06/anduril-plans-a-shipyard-and-3-100-jobs-at-tradepoint-atlantic-in-baltimore-county ; https://www.statesman.com/business/article/spacex-texas-school-tax-breaks-terafab-22298399.php ; https://s205.q4cdn.com/270741342/files/doc_financials/2026/q2/Modine_TRX_Q2-FY26.pdf ; https://careers.modine.com/content/EXPORT-COMPLIANCE-STATEMENT/?locale=en_US ; https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/apprenticeship/pdfs/2016-08.pdf ; https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-570.50 ; https://mdes.ms.gov/i-need-a-job/job-searching-resources/training-education/approved-wioa-programs/ ; https://www.mdes.ms.gov/win-job-centers/grenada-win-job-center/ ; https://www.nemcc.edu/workforce/courses/index.html ; https://workforce.smcc.edu/courses/pipe-fitting/ ; https://www.mccb.edu/programs/academics/dual-enrollment-credit ; https://www.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/grfp-nsf-graduate-research-fellowship-program ; https://www.aws.org/certification-and-education/professional-certification/certified-welder-program/ ; https://www.aws.org/certification-and-education/professional-certification/certified-welding-inspector/ ; https://www.epa.gov/section608/section-608-technician-certification-0 ; https://www.nccer.org/ ; https://careers.modine.com/job/Grenada-EOLT-Test-Technician-2nd-Shift-MS-38901/1433146300/ ; https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2026/html/SB/2200-2299/SB2288SG.htm ; https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/electricians/out-of-state.htm ; https://labor.md.gov/license/elec/eleclic.shtml ; https://labor.maryland.gov/license/elec/elechowtoapply.shtml ; https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state ; https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/xai/jobs/4741579007 ; https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/xai/jobs/5257297007 ; https://mdes.ms.gov/media/313488/oep_wda_d.pdf ; https://acceleratems.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/State-Funded-Programs-Report_Q1-2026_WEB.pdf ; https://news.holmescc.edu/modine-employees-complete-holmes-evening-industrial-maintenance-program/ ; https://acceleratems.org/workforce-pell/ ; https://acceleratems.org/equip-ms-grant/ ; https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-announces-spacex-expansion-in-grimes-county ; https://www.mccb.edu/accountability/cpscr/institutions ; https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar/09.12.11.01 ; https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/section-99.30 ; https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/364033 ; https://www.krellinst.org/csgf/ ; https://catalog.msstate.edu/graduate/colleges-degree-programs/engineering/

BRIK Creative, LLC. Rebecca Bruckner. The written program on this page, and the related posts and replies by Rebecca Bruckner, are the intellectual property of BRIK Creative, LLC and Rebecca Bruckner. All rights reserved.

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