# Virginia Expands Defense Workforce Pipeline

Virginia is expanding skilled-labor training capacity to support Navy and maritime industrial-base workforce needs. Danville’s ATDM program provides 16-week, 600-plus-hour training and aims to train up to 1,000 people annually. Hampton Roads currently produces about 5,000–6,000 maritime workers each year and plans to increase capacity to as many as 10,000 within two to three years. No solicitation or contract was announced, but the growing pipeline may affect contractors’ workforce planning and engagement with training providers.

- Contractors supporting Navy and maritime work can use the expanding pipeline to recruit for welding, electrical work, pipefitting, shipfitting, machining, nondestructive testing, and electronics roles.
- Companies may find opportunities to engage with workforce-training providers as the Danville and Hampton Roads programs scale; the signal does not identify a specific procurement or enrollment deadline.
- The planned increase in Hampton Roads training capacity could broaden the regional labor pool for shipbuilding and other maritime industrial-base work.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military, Education
**Published:** October 14, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Navy (Navy)
- Submarine Industrial Base Program Office (SIB Program Office)
- Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP)

### Vendors
- Newport News Shipbuilding ()

### Sources
- [
	Building a World-Class Defense Workforce in Virginia - Area Development
](https://www.areadevelopment.com/ContributedContent/q3-2026/building-a-world-class-defense-workforce-in-virginia.shtml) - Area Development