The Hampton Roads Workforce Council (HRWC), in collaborations with Newport News Shipbuilding and other local maritime industry businesses and training providers, announced Friday that they received $14 million in funding from the US Department of Defense.
The funding will be used to launch a series of projects designed to bolster the regional workforce in the US Navy's Submarine Industrial Base (SIB) and related industries, according to HRWC.
The initiatives are a part of a nation-wide effort led by the Navy to strengthen and expand the nation's maritime manufacturing workforce to meet a massive increase in demand for submarine construction.
The Workforce Council says they will serve as the central hub, connecting the shipbuilder and ship repair industries and various training providers to job seekers in the region.
The council recently contracted with nonprofit BlueForge Alliance (BFA), a neutral integrator that executes US Navy's initiatives to strengthen and expand the SIB.
The Department of Defense commissioned the council to manage 10 projects that will add capacity to training facilities, market the industry across the region, connect veterans and transitioning service members to maritime careers and expand outreach to local middle and high school students, according to the council. with the goal of the projects to sustain the region's "maritime talent pipeline."
These 10 projects are in conjunction with an additional $10 million for four other capacity-building projects to Hampton Roads institutions delivering maritime training and education.
"As global scenarios continue to stoke concerns around national security, we recognize the need for additional workforce solutions to support increasing demands of future delivery of Columbia and Virginia class submarines, sustainment of in-service submarines, and support for international partnerships," said Matt Sermon, executive director, program executive office for strategic submarines.
HRWC says the funding follows a string of talent recruitment and training initiatives led by the council over the last several years, including the 2019 release of the Hampton Roads Talent Alignment Strategy and the subsequent expansion of their Talent Division.
"The Hampton Roads region is a critical maritime center of gravity for our nation. The Workforce Council has been at the forefront of initiatives aimed at attracting, training and retaining talent to support in-demand industries in Hampton Roads; and we trust in their leadership to help us navigate this mission-critical process, as proven by their industry expertise, strategic partnerships and best in-class programs," said Sermon.
The council says they have made significant progress in the maritime talent recruitment space leveraging established relationships with Newport News Shipbuilding, the Virginia Ship Repair Association, the Virginia Community College System, state and local government, maritime employers and training providers and other workforce development stakeholders across southeastern Virginia and beyond.
"The Workforce Council has been steadfast in efforts to build a skilled talent pipeline capable of meeting the needs of our most in-demand industries; and as home to the world's largest naval base and the nation's largest shipbuilding subsector, we have prioritized the development of programs, services and solutions to support the maritime industry," said Hampton Roads Workforce Council President and CEO Shawn Avery.
A series of grants, initiatives and programs that target development, starting in 2020, illuminate the rapid expansion of the council's talent development architecture and underscore their capacity to support the SIB work.
"We are honored to serve in this capacity and remain committed to being optimal stewards of the resources entrusted to us to meet this critical demand," said Avery.
To support all of the work, the HRWC says they established an Executive Steering Committee to guide informed strategic decisions driven by industry demand signals to support current and future workforce development efforts across the maritime industry in Hampton Roads.
