BREMERTON, Wash. –
The doors of Presidents’ Hall at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds opened at 9 a.m. sharp Feb. 3, kicking off Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility’s two-day hiring fair.
Hopeful applicants braved the cold, rainy weather to browse booths representing 30 of the shipyard’s shops, codes and services. Scattered throughout the event were electricians demonstrating how to work on live circuits, shipwrights explaining the intricate process of docking an aircraft carrier, riggers demonstrating lifting and handling techniques, and painters showcasing how they use virtual reality to teach intricate painting styles.
Dozens of hiring managers from Code 900A, Production Department Administrative Support, and Code 1102, Executive Department Administration Office, came together over the last three months to coordinate the event and fill 1,500 job openings at the shipyard. By the end Saturday, more than 2,000 attendees had made their way through the hiring fair and more than 800 tentative job offers were extended to qualified candidates.
Allan Schott, hiring manager for Shop 38, Marine Machinery Mechanics, was one of the shipyard employees eager to share his experiences with attendees at the fair with the hope of hiring a future coworker.
Seventeen years ago, after spending 20 years in the U.S. Navy as a machinist’s mate, Schott was in their shoes, looking for work at the shipyard. Now, as a hiring manger, he hasn’t forgotten how stressful that process can be.
As applicants asked him about available positions, Schott was quick to smile and offered advice as he flipped through their resumes. As they made their way to other booths, Schott would shake their hands and wish them luck. For him, getting qualified workers is important.
“It’s about skill level. We hire people who have the mindset to do this work.”
For applicants without those skills, however, Schott explained how the shipyard has become more focused on training since he arrived. The shipyard’s Apprentice Program, Helper (Trainee) and work study positions both provide a path for less-experienced but equally passionate employees to gain the skills they need for a rewarding career.
As Schott listened and spoke with applicants, Heather Maass, a future readiness counselor at North Kitsap High School, brought five seniors from her school to find some of those opportunities.
At the last PSNS & IMF Career Fair in Puyallup, Maass brought three of her seniors and said all three left the event with multiple job offers. For counselors like Maass, PSNS & IMF’s hiring events can be a great opportunity for students to find work with skillsets they’ve already acquired in school.
“At North Kitsap High School, we have a robust engineering program,” she said. “[Those students] are ready to go to work with the skills they already have. The diverse shops at the shipyard allow them to have a selection of jobs that help them achieve financial independence.”
Maass said these opportunities can be life-changing for some of her students.
“The majority of the kids I bring here are hired or leave with multiple job offers,” she said. “For many it really helps them break the cycle of poverty they have grown up in.”
As Maass’ students looked to begin their professional careers, Don Baker came to the hiring fair after retiring from PSNS & IMF five years earlier. Baker was a shipwright in Shop 64, for 30 years and said it was the best job he ever had.
For Baker, the hiring fair was a chance to reminisce with old friends while helping his daughter find the career benefits he had.
“I want her to have retirement benefits like I do,” he said. “She’s been waiting tables and there is no retirement in that.”
As Baker caught up with his former co-workers and his daughter went from booth to booth, his enduring enthusiasm for PSNS & IMF was evident.
“I’ll tell anyone, the shipyard is one of the best places to work in this town,” he said. “Money-wise, career-wise, benefits-wise— it's got it all.”
If you or someone you know is interested in a great career with PSNS & IMF, email a resume to DHAproductionjob.fct@navy.mil or check USAJobs.gov (search PSNS).