NORFOLK, Va. - The Hampton Roads Workforce Council announced its new initiative called "Waves of Opportunity" on Wednesday, an effort to hire and train thousands of maritime workers.
The organization held a press conference inside Dominion Tower with the details: An $11 million Good Jobs Challenge Grant is supporting the program to fill 11,000 positions in the local maritime industry.
According to the Workforce Council, around 230 people have graduated from the program to date.
“When we talk about maritime, we talk about shipbuilding, ship repair. We’re talking about ports and logistics, the offshore wind industry that’s coming, the bridges and tunnels. There are just so many opportunities," said Shawn Avery, President and CEO of the Hampton Roads Workforce Council.
Avery tells News 3 that many of the opportunities are through Newport News Shipbuilding, which builds many of the U.S. Navy's warships and submarines.
Xavier Beale, the Vice President of Human Resources for the company, says he's ready to hire 3,000 skilled trades workers, along with engineers. He says hiring will hopefully top 19,000 over the next ten years, with a focus on training the people hired.
“They’re getting the basic competencies and proficiencies that they need to carry them throughout their career and, who knows? I started my career as a deckplate mechanic, as a pipefitter," Beale told News 3.
For more information on the maritime jobs that are available and to connect with the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, click HERE.
