Newport News Shipbuilding Partners With Commonwealth of Virginia

Gov. Ralph Northam announced that various state agencies and regional community colleges will work with Newport News to augment ongoing efforts to hire as many as 7,000 new shipbuilders over the next five years.

"Newport News Shipbuilding's success is important not just for Hampton Roads, but for the entire commonwealth," Northam said. "Therefore, it is critical that we support growth of this magnitude with an innovative partnership between state agencies that will address the company's workforce and training needs and ensure a pipeline of skilled talent. To remain competitive in a 21st century economy, it is a priority to provide workforce solutions that connect Virginians to the skills, training and opportunities required to meet companies' needs in high-demand sectors. I thank Huntington Ingalls Industries and Newport News Shipbuilding for its long-term commitment to the commonwealth and applaud all the state partners involved in this ground-breaking initiative."

The collaboration is expected to bolster Newport News' recruitment of people to meet its anticipated workforce demands in the Ford-class aircraft carrier and Virginia-class submarine programs. It also will support production of Columbia-class ballistic submarines, as well as increased submarine fleet support work and the refueling and complex overhaul and defueling of Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.

In addition to this significant hiring initiative, Newport News is retraining employees over the next five years to incorporate new digital shipbuilding technology and is continuing to make capital investments in the company's facilities and technology infrastructure.

"As we continue to transform our business, we look forward to recruiting, training and retaining talented men and women who will help meet our workforce needs now and into the future," said Newport News Shipbuilding President Jennifer Boykin. "This effort requires strong community leadership. That's why we are excited about this partnership with the commonwealth. Working with government, business and educational systems ensures we have the additional resources necessary to continue our investment in our greatest resource: our people."

This initiative will be supported by various state agencies, including Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Virginia Community College System, the Virginia Employment Commission, and the Virginia Office of Veterans and Defense Affairs.

Huntington Ingalls Industries is America's largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry.