Beyond pay, work-life balance, and scheduling, there are other basic challenges affecting the US submarine workforce, including how workers get to the job, a Navy official overseeing workforce concerns shared.
The Navy’s Submarine Industrial Base Program Office says it, along with its federal and state partners, has observed success in addressing region-specific problems, like transportation, that can be make-or-break for attracting new workers. Regional teams have been critical in examining the particular workforce needs around submarine construction and repair yards.
Erica Logan, the office’s director of workforce, told Business Insider earlier this year that her team looks at local factors, including education, demographics, unemployment, and cost of living. Transportation is also part of the assessment.
“What does the transportation system look like? Is it a very rural area where there may not be transportation?” Logan said. “How would we get folks there? What could we do to help a supplier that lives in an area like that?”
The office, she said, has supported several transportation pilots with bus systems to make it easier for submarine workers to get to and from work. These programs have prompted further questions about free bus passes and van pools.
“I think we’ve done a lot in that area using this regional approach to really just get a good understanding of what that region has,” Logan said.
The Navy’s Submarine Industrial Base Program Office is working on rebuilding the network of suppliers, builders, and manufacturers that construct Navy submarines. As part of the broader efforts to fix decades-old shipbuilding problems in the US, the office has focused on attracting and retaining workers, as well as addressing everything from pay and work-life balance to problems unique to individual communities.
In one example provided by the office, General Dynamics Electric Boat partnered with the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority to provide direct service to the Quonset Point shipyard. Ridership has more than doubled year over year, the office said, and it came at no cost to the Navy.
In another, the Hampton Roads Workforce Council provides workers with gas cards and bus passes to help them get to work. Since September 2023, the Hampton Roads Maritime Training System program within the council has provided nearly $200,000 in transportation assistance, funded through grants, donations, and the Virginia state government.
Housing is also a challenge. The office hasn’t funded permanent housing or related subsidies for shipyard or supplier workers. Instead, its efforts involve state and local engagement to expand affordable housing, as well as partnerships with specific yards or vendors.
Some initiatives specifically support trainees. For instance, the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing program in Danville, Virginia, offers students housing during their 16-week training. The program quickly trains candidates in manufacturing skills and trades to create a sustained flow of workers for jobs in naval shipbuilding and the submarine industrial base.
Addressing these issues, along with competitive pay and benefits, is key to recruiting and retaining the workers that the Navy needs to meet its shipbuilding goals. Over the next 10 years, the service estimates it’ll need to hire 250,000 skilled workers to account for the expected attrition and retirement in the workforce.
