HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — Water is a way of life for tens of thousands of people who live and work in Hampton Roads.
That’s not to mention the thousands of sailors who need the water to protect the homeland.
Now, the Hampton Roads Workforce Council is fronting an effort to make maritime jobs a priority.
“We’re open for business to the job seekers,” said Amanda Slosson, senior director of Regional Workforce Training Systems of the Hampton Roads Workforce Council. “Industry needs you. We’re here to help you. Please, just reach out.”
The Workforce Council and its system partners launched the Waves of Opportunity campaign to boost recruitment for training and employment in maritime careers.
‘We’re here to really get individuals to understand the opportunities that are available in the maritime industry and the shipbuilding ship repair, the offshore wind industry, the ports and logistics, the infrastructure and how they can get engaged with training opportunities or employment opportunities,” said Sean Avery, president of the Hampton Roads Workforce Council.
The campaign is supporting an $11 million, Good Jobs Challenge grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The jobs are out there, so if you’re looking for a career in the maritime industry, your ship might have just come in.
Huntington-Ingalls Vice President of Human Resources Xavier Beale started out as a pipefitter.
“This is a phenomenal career,” Beale said. “Whether you elect to remain as a skilled craftsperson, which is a really rewarding career, a great paying career, or if you decide to move into leadership positions or decide to come into the organization as an engineer or one of our other technical positions, such as business management, human resources, we have a multitude of careers that we’re hiring for.”
The goal is to fill 11,000 jobs regionally, but they’re not just at the shipyard.
“This program is critically important for the Navy,” said Erica Logan, deputy director for the Navy’s workforce/submarine industrial base program office. “The Navy needs thousands of workers over the next 10-plus years to build submarines and surface ships. Frankly, we need a workforce, a strong workforce, a committed workforce to build submarines for decades.”
Said Slosson: “So today is to let people know that we have staff available to support. We can put them in training programs, support them as needed with tuition support and things like that, but ultimately get them connected to good jobs, good careers.”
