Mark Scott, Ingalls Shipbuilding’s Resource Development for Training Director, said the company finds it vital to place its footprint in Alabama.
HANCEVILLE – Wallace State’s Applied Technologies Division students recently had the privilege to learn more about Ingalls Shipbuilding as the Mississippi-based company visited campus.
Ingalls Shipbuilding, located in Pascagoula, Miss., is the largest private employer in Mississippi and a major contributor to the Mississippi and Alabama economies. The company is also the largest supplier of U.S. Navy surface combatant and has built nearly 70 percent of the U.S. Navy fleet of warships.
Wallace State’s welding, machine tool technology, engineering technology and collision repair students were in attendance for the company’s presentation.
“Colleges like Wallace State are important to us because we can reach out and recruit a talented pool of potential employees. We consider ourselves a regional employer and when your footprint is large, your talent pool has to be large,” said Mark Scott, who leads Ingalls’ Resource Development for Training program. “We’ve always been impressed with the quality programs that Wallace State has for its students. We recruit employees who can fulfill a variety of crafts at our shipyard and places like Wallace State have such a diverse skill set within their departments. That’s important to us.”
Ingalls Shipbuilding employs 11,500 individuals and Scott said the company plans to hire approximately 4,400 employees over the next two years. He added significant percentage of Ingalls’ employees are residents of Alabama.
Ingalls Shipbuilding is also home to an apprenticeship program, which features 13 different concentrations.
Austin Monk, Wallace State’s new Director of Workforce Development, was honored to have Ingalls Shipbuilding on hand.
“It’s great to see Ingalls Shipbuilding feels the need to make the trip up. They get to see the value of our programs and how it can benefit their business. Ingalls offers some great opportunities for students to engage in. They are the second largest employer in Mississippi, and it’s not uncommon for them to reach out this far because they provide careers that will be long lasting,” Monk said. “We relish these opportunities for our students.”
