Huntington Ingalls Industries Partners with the Virginia Ready Initiative to Help Virginians Get Back to Work
July 16 2020 - 11:00AM
Huntington Ingalls Industries announced it has signed on to be a
business partner of the Virginia Ready Initiative (VA Ready), a new
initiative to help unemployed Virginians across the commonwealth
get back to work quickly. In response to the unprecedented impact
of the COVID-19 pandemic on unemployment, VA Ready, in partnership
with businesses and Virginia’s community colleges, equips people
who are out of work with the required skills for in-demand jobs in
high-growth sectors.
“We are proud to support the VA Ready initiative and help
develop the talents of Virginians looking for work in the
manufacturing sector,” said Mike Petters, HII president and CEO.
“Workforce development is at the core of our business at Huntington
Ingalls Industries. For more than 100 years, we have been
developing a skilled and diverse workforce to meet the challenges
of shipbuilding and manufacturing. I strongly believe that
retraining out-of-work Virginians will serve as an important
catalyst in reviving our economy and our communities.”
“As the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic continues,
we are seeing an urgent need to get Virginians back to work,” said
Glenn A. Youngkin, co-founder and chairman of VA Ready. “Employer
engagement is critical to retraining thousands of Virginians for
in-demand jobs. I’m grateful to Huntington Ingalls Industries and
the unique coalition that is partnering in this much-needed
effort.”
More than 800,000 people in the commonwealth have filed for
unemployment benefits since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Low-wage earners and minority communities have been hit the
hardest. At the same time, demand is projected to grow for
specialized jobs in the fields of technology, healthcare and
manufacturing/skilled trades.
VA Ready, a newly formed public charity, rewards out-of-work
Virginians who commit themselves to training for in-demand jobs. VA
Ready Scholars earn a credential in one of many selected training
programs through FastForward, a state-led short-term workforce
credential program to train Virginians for top, in-demand jobs
across the commonwealth. FastForward is offered through the
Virginia Community College System’s (VCCS) 23 community colleges.
Upon achieving their credential, “VA Ready Scholars” receive a
$1,000 Credential Achievement Award and are offered opportunities
to interview with VA Ready’s business partners.
“The goal of VA Ready is not just to give our scholars a
credential, but a clear path to a high-quality job at one of
Virginia’s best companies,” said Caren Merrick, CEO of VA Ready.
“Likewise, companies will have access to talent they know have been
through a credential program that reflects their needs, which will
enable them to grow their businesses, remain competitive and
stimulate our state’s economy. It is a win-win for
everyone.”
As a VA Ready business partner, HII will be supporting the
initiative in several ways, including:
- Financial support for Credential Achievement Awards and
awareness efforts.
- Input on offerings and curricula to VA Ready’s Talent Task
Force with VCCS to ensure training program success.
- Participating in the VA Ready Job Exchange and providing job
interview opportunities to VA Ready Scholars.
For more information on VA Ready, including how the recently
unemployed can apply, or how a business can become an employer
partner, visit www.vaready.org.
Huntington Ingalls Industries is America’s largest military
shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to
partners in government and industry. For more than a century, HII’s
Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and
Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any
other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HII’s Technical Solutions division
supports national security missions around the globe with unmanned
systems, defense and federal solutions, nuclear and environmental
services, and fleet sustainment. Headquartered in Newport News,
Virginia, HII employs more than 42,000 people operating both
domestically and internationally. For more information, visit:
- HII on the web: www.huntingtoningalls.com
- HII on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/HuntingtonIngallsIndustries
- HII on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hiindustries
- HII on YouTube: www.youtube.com/huntingtoningalls
- HII on Instagram: www.instagram.com/huntingtoningalls
About The Virginia Ready Initiative (VA
Ready)VA Ready is uniting stakeholders, including the
commonwealth’s business community and the FastForward program of
the Virginia Community College System to retrain out-of-work
Virginians with high-demand skills and build career
opportunities.
Contact:
Beci BrentonBeci.Brenton@hii-co.com(757) 880-3934
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