Photo caption: U.S. Navy intern John Archer came to Newport News Shipbuilding through the company’s partnership with SkillBridge, a Department of Defense program designed to help service members who have 180 days or less before military discharge navigate civilian work life (photo by Ashley Cowan/HII).
U.S. Navy intern John Archer came to HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division through the company’s partnership with SkillBridge, a Department of Defense program designed to help service members who have 180 days or less before military discharge navigate civilian work life.
Archer, a Chicago native, is preparing to retire after serving just over 20 years as a sailor. For the majority of his career, Archer served as a machinery repairman. He eventually worked his way to the rank of chief petty officer and led all surface ship superintendents and the additive manufacturing division of Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC).
Within the shipyard, Archer is working as a construction supervisor with the maintenance team responsible for USS Boise (SSN 764).
“This program is set up to let us get a taste of the real world. It’s a safety net,” Archer explained. “I think the lifestyle that folks in the military have is so different from civilian lifestyle – especially for sailors that served on ships. It can be difficult to transition from that.”
NNS first partnered with SkillBridge in the summer of 2024. This partnership provides NNS an opportunity to support the military beyond building the nuclear fleet, and the chance to continue building a veteran-rich workforce.
Garrett Halman (E14) also interned with NNS last year through SkillBridge and has since become a full-time shipbuilder.
“Transitioning to NNS through the SkillBridge program gave me the opportunity to turn my practical military experience into meaningful engineering impact,” Halman said. “Through this program I was able to begin working full time immediately following my separation from the United States Navy. Many sailors find the most stressful part of separating from the Navy is lining up a job before you get out, but through this program I was able to have a seamless transition.”
Archer hopes to continue his career and service to the Navy as an NNS shipbuilder after his internship.
“I have had a lot of help from my team here,” he said. “They’ve been very hands-on in my transition. I know they won’t lead me astray.”
