STONINGTON, Conn — A historic ramp-up to lay the groundwork for the future of national security.
Billions of dollars from Congress and the U.S. Navy are expected to be pouring into New London County as General Dynamics Electric Boat division ramps up production of nuclear submarines.
Officials are predicting the most massive hiring expansion the region has seen to-date. The investment also giving a boost to contractors like RSDI in Pawcatuck, some 15 miles from EB’s main Groton campus.
“There’s a significant need for resources,” said John Evans of RSDI, a contractor that works on cybersecurity issues and was recently recognized for hiring local veterans.
The week-old news that Australia buy up to five Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines confirming why the country’s century-old experts on submarines building General Dynamics Electric Boat is on a hiring frenzy plastering ads across Hartford’s XL Center during Wolf Pack games and running commercials during the Super Bowl last month.
EB is hiring 5,750 additional workers this year alone. This, after EB welcomed 3,900 new hires in 2022.
A breakdown of the numbers shows 1,300 skilled workers are needed at the Groton campus and an additional 1,450 engineers and design experts in Connecticut and Rhode Island. The company has an additional 1,500 miscellaneous positions.
On Monday, a spokesman for EB said the Aukus nuclear submarine deal announced by President Joe Biden was just signed and company officials will soon start meeting with the U.S. Navy to iron out specifics. But the ramp-up will take several years. Meanwhile, the Virginia-class and Columbia-class submarines are keeping EB and regional contractors busy.
“Being able to find those uncut gems in the state. There’s a lot of amazing businesses here that maybe don’t even realize they’re qualified to be able to support the fleet,” Evans said.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal says he’d like to see investments reach research and development companies like RSDI in Pawcatuck.
“More skilled workers, more training is vital to the kind of work that is done here,” Blumenthal said.
The specialty worker shortage now catching up with Connecticut while companies like RSDI work to protect the U.S. in what Blumenthal calls a global ‘knife fight.’
“In cyber, in security, with Russians and Chinese trying to hack our military and other systems every minute of every day,” he said.
For more info on jobs at Electric Boat, click here.
Samaia Hernandez is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at shernandez@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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