A Region Built on Ships, Strategy, and Data: The Story of Hampton Roads Workforce Council
From ships under repair in drydock at the mouth of the James River, to semi-trucks carrying containers out of the Port of Virginia, Hampton Roads is a region where work is visible. The workforce doesn’t just power local growth, but also supports national security, connects Virginia’s economy to the rest of the world, and is critical to the region’s identity.
The Hampton Roads Workforce Council serves 10 cities and five counties across the Norfolk, VA metropolitan area representing about 1.8 million people. Among the many economic challenges, the Council is grappling with how to prepare the region’s workforce with the unique skills required by employers. For the Hampton Roads Workforce Council, the answer always begins with data.
A Regional Approach to Data Capacity
The Council recognizes that effective data use doesn’t always require owning every dataset or analysis tool. Instead of gathering all the data it needs using internal resources, it relies on collaboration with regional partners. In particular, the Council works closely with the Hampton Roads Alliance to develop regional data insights, obtains state labor market data from Virginia Works (the state’s labor market information office), and works with national labor market analytics platforms to access real-time job posting data, employer demand, and occupational skill profiles. This partnership-based model reflects a practical mindset, allowing the Council to leverage others’ expertise rather than duplicate efforts. When a question comes up about occupation projections, industry outlooks, or workforce needs, there is a trusted regional expert ready to provide analysis.
Responding to the Maritime Moment
Few places in United States are as deeply tied to maritime industries as Hampton Roads. Home to Naval Station Norfolk, the economy is heavily connected to the maritime industry, especially related sectors like shipbuilding, ship repair, and naval sustainment. With this connection to supporting the maritime industry, the area relies heavily on skilled trades workers like welders, electricians, machinists, etc. Those employers consistently need workers with very specific technical skills. Historically, labor shortages in these roles hinder productivity and national defense readiness.
The Council recognizes that maritime workforce needs urgent support. To address this, the Hampton Roads Maritime Training System (HRMTS) was created in 2024 as a regional training ecosystem to train and deliver skilled trades workers for current and future maritime jobs, strengthen the local economy, and support U.S. Navy fleet sustainment and defense industrial base readiness.
HRMTS partners with a diverse coalition of training providers, public school divisions, universities, workforce agencies, and employers, representing about 85% of maritime jobs in the region. Multiple training pathways are offered, such as welding, electrical technology, machinist training, pipefitting/ship fitting, and other critical skills aligned with industry needs. In addition to technical training, HRMTS also provides certification assistance, and connections to employers to lower barriers to career entry.
Since its inception, HRMTS has demonstrated impressive results in scaling maritime training and connecting graduates to meaningful careers. As of mid-2025, more than 6,650 workers have enrolled in the system’s training programs, and over 5,800 graduates entered the workforce, filling essential roles across critical trades such as welding, electrical work, machining, pipe fitting, and ship fitting.
HRMTS’s training efforts have revealed significant effectiveness with its high completion rate of 87%. Completion rates for specific trades are especially notable: 85% for welding, 91% for electrical training, 96% for outside machinist, and over 93% for pipe fitting and ship fitting training. These outcomes demonstrate the program’s ability to retain students and equip them with the technical skills employers need. Most HRMTS graduates chose to stay in the Hampton Roads region. This graduate retention rate is crucial because keeping trained workers strengthens the local economy and reinforces regional workforce resilience by keeping skilled talent within the community where industry demand is highest.
To sustain future demand, HRMTS has ambitious expansion plans. By 2028, the system is expected to graduate 10,000 trainees annually, almost doubling its current capacity. This growth reflects both the region’s sustained industry needs and HRMT’s capacity to scale with strategic partnerships and investment.
Read more about the impact of Hampton Roads Maritime Training System here.