Photo caption: Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su makes remarks during an event at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division on Wednesday, August 28, 2024 (Photo by Ashley Cowan/HII).

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., (Aug. 28, 2024) — HII (NYSE: HII) hosted acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su and Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro today at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding division where they recognized the efforts of the Hampton Roads Workforce Council (HRWC).

Su and Del Toro were joined by Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, D-Va., and Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones for an event at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School focused on workforce development and national security.

“We can and should be building the ships that make us secure, make us strong, right here in the United States, right here in Newport News, because we have the talented people to do it,” Su said.

Wednesday’s tour highlighted how The Apprentice School is vital to the construction of the most technologically advanced U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and submarines at NNS. The Department of Labor presented $6 million in Apprenticeship Building America grants to HRWC during the event. The grants will enhance the pathways for employment in the Hampton Roads region, connecting people to jobs. HRWC runs the Hampton Roads Regional Workforce Training System, of which NNS is a member.

“We have forged partnerships with workforce and economic development stakeholders, business and industry leaders, education and training providers, and community-based organizations, with the shared opportunity of investing in human infrastructure, strengthening our workforce development system and promoting the ‘good jobs’ principle,” said Shawn Avery, Hampton Roads Workforce Council president and CEO. “It’s a holistic approach that we are putting together in Hampton Roads to ensure we are meeting the needs of businesses and industry.”

“The Apprentice School is part of our nation’s opportunity infrastructure,” Su said. “It’s a part of the opportunity infrastructure right here in this community too. What it does is it creates a debt-free pathway for individuals with hunger and with drive to get a good job right here in their community.”

Funded by HII to train and develop the next generation of shipbuilders, The Apprentice School offers four- to eight-year, tuition-free apprenticeships in 19 trades and eight optional advanced programs.

Accredited by the Council for Occupational Education, The Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School is certified to offer associate’s degrees of applied science in maritime technology in 26 educational programs. Through partnerships with Virginia Peninsula Community College, Tidewater Community College and Old Dominion University, the Apprentice School’s academic program provides the opportunity to earn associate degrees in business administration, engineering and engineering technology and bachelor’s degrees in mechanical or electrical engineering.