Page 30 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2018

PEOPLE skills to pay the bills
IGNITING A SPARK
In what’s described as a win-win for both parties, Ingalls Shipbuilding’s partnership with high schools is off to a positive start. Officially named the Ingalls Shipbuilding Talent Development Labs, the program is currently partnering with three schools and hopes to include more in the future. The schools are Moss Point High School, Pascagoula High School and Alma Bryant High School in Irvington, Alabama. Currently, 200 students are enrolled in the three programs.
story by Lynn Lofton photos courtesy of Ingalls Shipbuilding
INGALLS SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS MEAN FUTURE JOBS FOR STUDENTS
The Pascagoula shipbuilding facility is Mississippi’s largest private employer with 11,500 employees. This program will help create awareness of the company and its jobs, according to Ingalls officials.
“We have 13 ships under construction and will hire 1,000 people over the next year, which is a great position as a company,” said Vice President of Operations George Jones. “Some 48 percent of our employees came in as entry level skilled workers.”
Jones says Ingalls has been innovative with several local high schools as they saw the schools trying to get back into shop classes. “We recommended taking it to the next level as partners because we can offer expertise and invest in the future.”
The company is providing the schools with modern, safe equipment to ensure that teaching occurs using industry-standard machines and materials, along with evaluating the training programs to confirm state requirements and curriculum that translates to on-the- job training are met. Additionally, all safety gear and needs are in place.
“We are helping local schools create state-of-the-art career training facilities,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding
President Brian Cuccias. “These new labs will feature the best equipment and training aids in the market, enabling our communities’ educational professionals to develop the best craftsmen in the country. Our shared goal is to provide students the opportunity to build a solid future for themselves and their families, while also nurturing
a strong talent pool for our shipyard’s next-generation workforce.”
Jones, who began his career as an hourly worker, uses himself as an example of how high school training
can lead to workplace success. “I came through the vocational/technical program at St. Martin High School; it really was a stepping stone where I learned trade skills and life skills,” he said. “It holds true today, and we want these students to have every advantage.”
He and the other Ingalls leaders also embrace the soft- skill training the program gives students to help them learn responsibility and showing up for work on time. With a presentation called ‘Now You Have a Paycheck,’ company representatives bring actual documents to class to instruct students. “We want to help students transition from student to industry professional,” Jones said. “Some students have never seen a paycheck or
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