Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant visited Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding facility, meeting with shipyard officials on workforce development and training initiatives and touring Ingalls' Maritime Training Academy, the company announced.
"Mississippi is home to the greatest shipbuilders in the world and builds the most technologically advanced warships on the planet," Bryant said. "Workforce development is critical to ensuring Mississippians are prepared for skilled manufacturing jobs like those at Ingalls. The company's Maritime Training Academy is a tremendous training resource that will help ensure the next generation of shipbuilders is up to the task of building the ships that defend freedom around the world."
The 70,000 square-foot Haley Reeves Barbour Maritime Training Academy, built with state-provided recovery grant funds and Ingalls investment after Hurricane Katrina, features 24 classrooms, three computer labs, a library, a bookstore, 26 offices/conference rooms and several state-of-the-art craft labs for students to practice the various shipyard trades.
"We appreciate Governor Bryant taking the time to visit today to see firsthand how Mississippi investments and resources are being applied in developing our future workforce," said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. "Our continued partnerships with the State of Mississippi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College are providing real career opportunities for local students to learn shipbuilding skills through our apprenticeship program. This program is the lifeblood of our shipyard."