HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding Welcomes High School Graduates Recruited Through Innovative WAVES Program

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., June 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII’s (NYSE: HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division is welcoming more than 50 graduating high school seniors to shipbuilding careers through an innovative outreach program coordinated with 14 schools across Virginia.

Workforce Attraction Via Experienced Shipbuilders, known as WAVES, embeds experienced skilled tradespeople from NNS into high schools that offer technical career education curriculums. These shipbuilders, known as scouts, visit the school at least once a month, where they build trusted relationships with career counselors and engage with students to provide mentorship, tutoring support and information on HII career opportunities.

“WAVES bridges the gap between education and hands-on experience, equipping students with knowledge, confidence, and connections needed to excel in their chosen fields,” said Xavier Beale, NNS vice president of human resources. “Through personalized guidance and partnerships, we are building the next generation of skilled professionals and we’re thrilled to have these students join our powerful mission at Newport News Shipbuilding.”

Photos accompanying this release are available at https://www.hii.com/newsroom.

NNS hosted its first ‘Welcoming Ceremony’ Wednesday for students recruited through WAVES mentorships who have accepted offers of employment with the company. The event recognized the students’ accomplishments and offered an introduction to the shipyard and their new teammates.

For more information about careers at Newport News Shipbuilding, visit hii.com/careers.

About HII

HII is America’s largest shipbuilder, delivering the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain mission technologies, including unmanned systems, to U.S. and allied defense customers. HII is the largest producer of unmanned underwater vehicles for the U.S. Navy and the world.

With a more than 140-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII builds and integrates defense capabilities extending from the core fleet to C6ISR, AI/ML, EW and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit:

• HII on the web: https://www.HII.com/
• HII on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII
• HII on X: https://www.twitter.com/WeAreHII
• HII on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeAreHII
• HII on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearehii
  

Contact:

Todd Corillo
Todd.T.Corillo@HII-co.com
(757) 688-3220

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d6461f2f-f73b-4eed-a898-4e5556ccd563