Ingalls expands Shipbuilder Academy program

Ingalls Shipbuilding celebrated the opening of its new Shipbuilder Academy site in Gulfport. Participating in the ceremonial ribbon-cutting were (left to right) Glen East, superintendent of Gulfport School District; Ciara Coleman, program manager for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation; Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias; Edmond Hughes, Ingalls’ vice president of human resources and administration; and Dr. John R. Kelly, chief administrative officer for the City of Gulfport. Photo by Derek Fountain/HII

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE: HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday for its new Shipbuilder Academy site in Gulfport, Miss.

The Shipbuilder Academy was established in 2016 at Ingalls’ Maritime Training Academy with a mission of providing enrolled students with a strong foundation in the maritime industry and to fill the current industry skills gap.

Through a partnership with the Gulfport School District, Ingalls is expanding the program to a new site inside the repurposed Gaston Point Elementary School.

“Ingalls has been a cornerstone of the Gulf Coast for more than 80 years, and we want to provide paths for hiring local talent,” said Brian Cuccias, president of Ingalls Shipbuilding. “A well-trained workforce is so vital to our community’s success that Ingalls has created a proactive approach in helping create meaningful programs that result in job-ready, skilled graduates. These students become a pipeline for Ingalls and other companies along the Gulf Coast.”

In addition to the partnership with Gulfport School District, the new Shipbuilder Academy site received a grant in the amount of $150,000 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The grant is meant to help Gulfport School District and Ingalls increase workforce development and career pathways by expanding Shipbuilder Academy across the Mississippi Gulf Coast.