Progress and partnership were the order of the day when Virginia Peninsula Community College celebrated the opening of its newest training facility, the Newport News Trades Center, with a ribbon-cutting.
The March 25 event at the 520 21st St. facility allowed College officials, city leaders, industry partners and community stakeholders to mark a milestone in expanding workforce training opportunities across the Virginia Peninsula.
The 16,000-square-foot facility will prepare more than 400 students annually for high-demand careers in maritime trades and residential construction. Officials indicate these fields are critical to the region’s economy and national defense priorities.
College President Towuanna Porter Brannon was among six speakers at the ceremony. Others representing the College in delivering remarks were Todd Estes, vice president for Workforce Development and Innovation at VPCC, and Bobby Perkins, director of Manufacturing, Skilled Trades and Transportation at VPCC.
Dr. Brannon noted it’s the College’s third trades training center and was created to address the region’s need to fill thousands of skilled trades positions.
“This is our willingness to respond. This center brings manufacturing, defense and construction trades training into a community that deserves access to long-term economic mobility and resistance,” she said. “Within these walls, learners will become welders, electricians, and HVAC technicians. They will become skilled professionals who will build ships, sustain local infrastructure, and power local industries without amassing significant student debt.”
She added it shows what is possible when higher education, local government, communities and private industry work together.
“What we’re doing here today is going to transform the lives of not only so many individuals, but the workforce and the communities and the businesses that are relying on us,” she said.
Perkins called the event “a full‑circle moment, both for this community and for me personally.” He grew up in Southeast Newport News and began his career as a welder through the apprenticeship program at Newport News Shipbuilding.
“That apprenticeship transformed my life,” he said. “It opened doors, built confidence, and proved that the trades are not simply jobs. They are careers, callings, and sources of pride.”
He has gone from that apprenticeship to having direct oversight of the new facility.
“I am living proof that skilled trades can be a pathway to leadership, service, and lifelong success. And that is why today matters,” he said.
The trades center will offer the same pathway for countless other students.
“Students who may be just like I was years ago: full of potential, hungry for a chance, and ready to work for a better future,” he said.
He added it also represents the power of vision and the strength of investing in people.
“It stands as a bridge between what is possible and what is achievable when a community commits to cultivating talent, skill, and opportunity,” he said.
Through a partnership with the City of Newport News and the Maritime Industrial Base, VPCC established the center. The facility will offer practical training programs in welding, marine electrical, structural fitting, coatings, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and facilities maintenance. The ultra-modern center boasts 20 welding bays; room for 12 students training in structural fitting and another 12 in electrical instruction; three works stations for maritime electrical; and at least five for HVAC.
Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones called the collaboration the definition of a public-private partnership.
Addressing a crowd of more than 100, he said: “Today, we gather to affirm our shared commitment to the future of our region. This Newport News Trades Center represents a significant investment in workforce development in people and the skilled professions. … Investing in people is the most powerful investment that a city can make.”
Located just blocks from HII Newport News Shipbuilding, the center sits in a historically underserved community. College leaders and partners said the site selection will help spur community revitalization by connecting residents with in-demand skills and long-term career opportunities.
Xavier Beale, vice president of human resources at Newport News Shipbuilding, said, “This trade center will be an incredible asset in meeting our region’s maritime domains, not just for the shipyard, but for the region at large.”
Erica Logan, workforce director for the Maritime Industrial Base, agreed, noting the timing is perfect.
“There are so many industries that need workforce, a capable workforce that needs to be trained,” she said.
Rounding out the day’s remarks, Estes said it was a complex project involving a lot of people and effort.
“The only way to get through that complexity is shared purpose, shared commitment and shared commitment to excellence, and that’s what we’ve achieved today in this milestone,” he said.
In conclusion, he stressed the most important thing “is people, is students.”
In 2024, VPCC received a $457,000 Advanced Manufacturing Talent Investment Program grant to outfit the center’s welding lab with the latest technology. Additional funding from the College’s FY25 and FY26 Workforce Pipeline allocations supports other labs, including a multi-trade maritime mock-up designed to replicate real-world job environments.
College leaders thanked the City of Newport News, industry partners, and the Commonwealth of Virginia for their collaboration and investment in bringing the $9 million project to life. RRMM Architects designed the facility, and W.M. Jordan Company completed construction.
The Newport News Trades Center expands VPCC’s skilled trades offerings, complementing training programs available at the Peninsula Workforce Development Center in Hampton and the College’s Toano Trades Center in James City County.