Virginia Talent Pipeline Midyear Program Review
VTPP Midyear Review Team Pic
HAMPTON, VA. – February 20, 2023: The first Virginia Talent Pipeline Project Midyear Program Review was hosted in Hampton, VA on February 15, 2023.
The Virginia Talent Pipeline Project is working to strengthen the trade skills workforce through helping employers improve their recruiting, hiring, training, and retaining strategies for the next generation workforce members who are mission critical to building the submarines, ships, and systems the Navy needs. Employers that are part of the critical maritime supply chains will commit to hire and retain skilled trades talent from program participants into well-paying and mission-critical careers.
The Midyear Program Review is the opportunity for Employer and Talent Pipeline Providers to share their recruiting and hiring experiences and learn about strategies to support meeting their hiring demands over the next few months.
Keynote Speaker, Command Master Chief Josh Sturgill, addressed the audience about the US Navy Talent Acquisition and Retention System and how they are addressing the same challenges felt by our manufacturing partners starting with the next generation. CMC Sturgill expands on this by describing the annual process by which the U.S. Navy takes 35,000-40,000 17 -24-year-olds with no experience and turn them into sailors that can competently execute the mission of their command within a year of service.
Over the next 10 years 100,000-140,000 workers need to be injected into the submarine industrial base in order to meet Navy demands needed to address the ever-growing threat to America’s defense. In order to meet this demand the Talent Pipeline Program is working with over 100 suppliers to improve their systems and help them expand their horizons to attract and retain the right talent. “We have to advertise that these are family serving and family sustaining careers”, stated CMC Sturgill, “These jobs aren’t going away, the demand signal is not going away, and while they don’t send us text messages (they’ll send a damn balloon over), our enemy is not going away either”. To see the entire Keynote visit VTPP Mid Year Program Review Keynote Address.
Local employers, training providers, and regional stakeholders include:
Employer Partners: Fairlead, Advex Corporation, QED Systems, Colonna’s Shipyard, Steel America, Weld America, Kitco Fiber Optics, Fairbanks Morse Defense, Master Machine and Tool, Defense Maritime Solutions, ITAC, Steel Services, Riggins Company, IMIA, Premier – W&O Supply, Oceaneering, Collins Machine Works, Curtiss-Wright, Warwick Mechanical Group, M&R Sheetmetal, Trident Maritime – Hampton Machine Shop, Trident Maritime – East Coast Repair, Epsilon Systems, MISTRAS Group, Dante Valve, TST Fab & Machine, Advanced Integrated Technologies, Prism Maritime, Marcom, Delphinus Engineering, ECR & Fabrication, MHI
Training Provider Partners: New Horizons Regional Education Centers, ATDM, Virginia Beach Technical and Career Education Center, Virginia Advanced Technology Center, Virginia Beach City Public High Schools, Academies of Hampton, Virginia Peninsula Community College, Tidewater Tech, Centura College, Aviation Institute of Maintenance, Tidewater Community College, Chesapeake City Schools, Camp Community College
Facilitator Partners: HII-Newport News Shipbuilding, General Dynamics – Electric Boat, Hampton Roads Workforce Council, Submarine Industrial Base Council, Virginia Manufacturers Association, Naval Submarine League, Marine Machinery Association, Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition, Urban League of Hampton Roads, SkillsUSA, Shipbuilders Council of America
In May 2021, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the Navy launched an initiative with the mission of energizing and engaging the American defense industrial base through the creation of maritime-focused manufacturing talent pipelines. These pipelines will recapitalize the defense workforce and address critical trade skill gaps required across the maritime and defense ecosystems, including the Navy, Coast Guard, and Maritime Administration (MARAD)). Trade needs for the industry include welders, machinists, metal fabricators, electricians, ship fitters, NDT/Quality Assurance, and more. The goal is to grow their unique talents and ensure long-term success within the maritime defense industry. The Navy and the Secretary of Defense have more than $300 billion planned for investments in new submarines, aircraft carriers, and ships over the next several decades.
For more information about the Virginia Talent Pipeline Project please visit us at https://dibtalentpipeline.com/virginia or take our Realistic Program Preview at https://realisticjobpreview.com/mast/.
We are on a Mission
1 Employer, 1 Job, 1 Lifelong, Productive, Engaged Teammate at a Time!