Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery will host a direct hiring job fair on Wednesday at York County Community College in Wells, in an effort to hire for 200 positions.
The job fair is designed for candidates with two or more years of experience in an applicable trade. The 200 positions are in the following trades: electricians, electronics, painters, plastic fabricators, insulators, fabric workers, pipefitters, AC&R mechanics, machinists, marine machinery mechanics, production machinery mechanics, tool room mechanics, industrial equipment mechanics, welders, sheet metal mechanics, shipfitters, riggers, and heavy mobile equipment mechanics.
Representatives from Naval Security Force will also be present at the event accepting resumes for police officer vacancies.
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Interviews will be conducted onsite for qualified applicants. The job fair will be held from noon to 6 p.m.
“Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is America’s leader in attack submarine maintenance and modernization,” said shipyard Commander Capt. Dave Hunt. “This job fair, where we can utilize the expedited direct hire authority, will help us recruit the right people quickly to become part of our team and continue Portsmouth’s legacy of excellence for the Navy and the nation.”
Direct hire authority was recently signed into law through the defense authorization bill, speeding up the hiring process for certain positions requiring particularly skilled workers at military depots like the shipyard. In typical governmental hiring processes, a prospective employee may have to wait months to be officially brought on board. As the nation faces a trades skills crisis, a fear among employers is that prospective employees will find work elsewhere due to the elongated hiring process.
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Select positions featured at the job fair may be eligible for a recruitment incentive, with amounts dependent on the qualification of the candidate.
Experienced applicants should bring multiple copies of their resume, professional certifications and academic transcripts. Veterans should bring copies of their DD-214. Prior to completing the full hiring process, all applicants must pass a background check, job eligibility review, a physical exam and drug test.
The Wells job fair is specifically for experienced candidates, but the shipyard’s Trades Apprenticeship is also open for those without trade experience. Interested apprenticeship candidates can apply online through www.USAJOBS.gov. The shipyard is looking to fill approximately 170 apprenticeship positions. Apprenticeship applications will be accepted on USAJOBS until Aug. 31.
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