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Workforce Development

“Hard Stuff Done Right” applies to everything we do at Huntington Ingalls Industries, including workforce development.

We believe businesses share in the responsibility of developing a skilled workforce, so we invest more than $110 million a year in workforce development, education and training initiatives—from the apprentice schools at our Newport News and Ingalls Shipbuilding divisions … to academic partnerships with two- and four-year colleges and universities … to STEM investments in elementary, middle and high schools. HII even makes long game investments in early childhood education.

Workforce Development Facts

Investing in a Skilled Workforce

Shipbuilder AcademyHII’s divisions are engaged in a wide range of workforce development efforts—from Newport News Shipbuilding’s support of the Maritime Industrial Base Ecosystem and the Virginia Digital Shipbuilding Workforce Program … to Ingalls Shipbuilding’s Talent Development Labs and Shipbuilder Academy … to Technical Solutions’ partnerships with the U.S. Navy’s Fleet & Family Support Centers in Virginia and the Port of San Diego Ship Repair Association in California.

Talent Development Labs

Ingalls Shipbuilding‘s Talent Development Labs—a year-old partnership with high schools in Mississippi and Alabama—are another example of how the division is developing the shipbuilders of the future.

“The talent labs are transforming our communities,” said Edmond Hughes, Ingalls’ vice president, Human Resources and Administration, “by allowing us to show students what are the careers that are available and the options that are out there for them if they want to remain here in the community.”

Read the video transcript


Supporting Education

The HII Scholarship Fund provides early childhood readiness and post-secondary scholarships for children of HII employees. It was established in 2016 and is funded primarily by HII President and CEO Mike Petters, who declines all but $1 of his annual salary. Since its establishment, the fund  has awarded or renewed 578 scholarships totaling more than $1.5 million.

Training and Apprenticeships

The cornerstone of HII’s workforce development strategy is our apprenticeship program, which offers tuition-free training in a wide variety of shipbuilding disciplines, from welding and rigging to dimensional control and nuclear testing.

The Apprentice School at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division in Virginia was established in 1919 and currently offers four- to eight-year apprenticeships in 19 trades and eight optional advanced programs, including Marine Engineering (Bachelor’s Degree).

Likewise, the Apprentice School at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division in Mississippi was founded in 1952 and currently offers two- to four-year apprenticeships in 13 trades. Both schools are focused on three “ships”: craftsmanship, scholarship and leadership.


HII’s commitment to developing a workforce that is second to none is supported by many generations of employees who are instrumental in making our company a leader in the industry.

Leadership Commitment

HII also has more than 30 senior leaders actively engaged in national, state and local organizations focused on workforce development, including the Aerospace Industries Association’s Workforce Council, the American Apprenticeship Round Table, the National Maritime Education Council, the Virginia Workforce Council and Mississippi’s State Workforce Investment Board.
Mike Petters addresses Virginia Workforce conference

Workforce Development in the News

CEO Communications

HII President and CEO Mike Petters is a nationally recognized thought leader on workforce development—specifically on the subject of early childhood education and its implications for national security.

Executive Communications

“Investing in Children Today—Ensuring a Quality Workforce Tomorrow,” April 22, 2015, by Bill Ermatinger

Workforce Development Resources