Shipfitter Trainee - Complete Trades Training

SHIP FITTER TRAINEE - COMPLETE 3 WEEKS OF FREE TRADES TRAINING 11P-7AM

Location:

Newport News, Virginia, United States

Date:
Oct 22, 2025

US Citizenship Required for this Position:
Yes

Full-Time

Shift: Multiple
Relocation:
No relocation assistance available
Virtual/Telework Opportunity:
No - Not eligible for telework

Travel Requirement:
No

Clearance Required:

No - Clearance Not Required to Start

Meet HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding
With more than 25,000 employees – including third-, fourth- and even fifth-generation shipbuilders – HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division is the largest industrial employer in Virginia. We’re the sole designer, builder and refueler of U.S. Navy nuclear aircraft carriers and one of two providers of U.S. Navy nuclear submarines. Our diverse and innovative team of professionals ranges from skilled trades to project managers, engineers and software developers to solution architects, technical subject matter experts, and system users.

Anchored in our rich, 135-year history, we collaborate together at the forefront of technology, manufacturing, and integration of the most powerful and survivable naval ships in the world. Want to be part of the team? Apply today! We look forward to meeting you.

This position is for job seekers with no trades experience willing to complete three weeks of unpaid training in Shipfitting.

Newport News Shipbuilding has partnered with the Virginia Ship Repair Association and local Virginia community colleges and maritime training facilities to offer several course-to-hire Marine Trades Training (MTT) programs for individuals interested in learning a trade and working full-time for Newport News Shipbuilding. Courses are offered once a month with 6-15 students per class. The Ship fitter Trainee program is offered at Virginia Peninsula Community College (Hampton, VA).

Each (UNPAID) program is 3-weeks (120 hours), 11:00pm – 7:00am (Monday thru Friday).

Shipfitters, often referred to as "carpenters" of shipbuilding or "artists of steel" are essential for interpreting blueprints and plans to fabricate and assemble the steel structures of aircraft carriers and submarines. They use a variety of tools to measure, cut, grind, fit, align, and tack weld components, ranging from small parts to large sub-assemblies and super lifts that form the ship’s structural body.

In addition to fabricating external structures, ship fitters construct all interior components, including hatches, doors, and bulkheads completing the steel work on the vessel.

At NNS, ship fitters undergo training and qualification at the shipyard’s state-of-the-art welding school. Their skills will be applied in multiple locations across the shipyard including shops, concrete and metal structures, dry docks, and aboard ships in support of new construction, ship repair, and overhaul.

Working at Newport News Shipbuilding often involves performing tasks in various weather conditions, at extreme heights on scaffolding, ladders, or elevated platforms and in small, confined spaces such as tanks, compartments, or voids in a ship. These environments require a strong focus on safety, precision, and adaptability, as well as physical agility and comfort working in challenging conditions.

• Must be able to pass a 3-week (UNPAID) program (120 hours), 11:00pm – 7:00am (Monday – Friday)
• Must be willing to undergo a background investigation and drug screen
• Must be able to kneel, squat, crawl, bend, stoop, and climb on a daily basis
• Must be able to lift at least 40 pounds
• Must be able to perform overhead work
• Must be able to work overtime as needed
• Must be able to be clean shaven to wear a respirator
• Must be able to perform work outdoors, year- round, in all weather conditions
• Must be able to work at extreme heights
• Must be able to work in small, tight, confined spaces
• Must be willing to work any shift

High school graduate or equivalent preferred.

We build the world’s most powerful, survivable naval ships and defense technology solutions that safeguard our seas, sky, land, space and cyber. HII’s diverse workforce includes skilled tradespeople; artificial intelligence, machine learning (AI/ML) experts; engineers;…