除了薪资、工作与生活的平衡以及工作时间安排之外，美国潜艇部队还面临着其他一些基本性的挑战。一位负责监督潜艇部队相关问题的海军官员指出，这些挑战包括员工如何通勤到工作地点。海军的“潜艇工业基地项目办公室”表示，该办公室与联邦及州政府合作伙伴一起，在解决一些地区性问题上取得了进展——例如交通问题；这些问题对于吸引新员工至关重要。
Beyond pay, work-life balance, and scheduling, there are other basic challenges affecting the US submarine workforce, including how workers get to the job, a Navy official overseeing workforce concerns shared. The Navy's Submarine Industrial Base Program Office says it, along with its federal and state partners, has observed success in addressing region-specific problems, like transportation, that can be make-or-break for attracting new workers.
这些地区性团队在研究潜艇建造和维修基地的劳动力需求方面发挥了重要作用。今年早些时候，该办公室的劳动力主管埃里卡·洛根（Erica Logan）在接受《Business Insider》采访时指出，她的团队会考虑当地的教育水平、人口结构、失业率以及生活成本等因素，交通状况也是评估的重要指标。洛根说：“当地的交通系统是怎样的？如果是一个偏远地区、缺乏公共交通设施，我们该如何帮助员工通勤？对于那些居住在类似地区的供应商，我们又能提供哪些支持呢？”
Regional teams have been critical in examining the particular workforce needs around submarine construction and repair yards. Erica Logan, the office's director of workforce, told Business Insider earlier this year that her team looks at local factors, including education, demographics, unemployment, and cost of living. Transportation is also part of the assessment. "What does the transportation system look like? Is it a very rural area where there may not be transportation?" Logan said. "How would we get folks there?
她表示，该办公室已经支持了多项交通改善计划（如公交系统建设），以方便潜艇工作人员上下班。这些举措引发了更多关于免费公交卡和班车服务的问题。洛根表示：“通过这种区域性的方法，我们确实取得了很多进展，对当地的情况有了更深入的了解。”目前，海军的“潜艇工业基地项目办公室”正在努力重建负责建造潜艇的供应商、制造商和建造商之间的合作网络。
What could we do to help a supplier that lives in an area like that?" The office, she said, has supported several transportation pilots with bus systems to make it easier for submarine workers to get to and from work. These programs have prompted further questions about free bus passes and van pools. "I think we've done a lot in that area using this regional approach to really just get a good understanding of what that region has," Logan said. The Navy's Submarine Industrial Base Program Office is working on rebuilding the network of suppliers, builders, and manufacturers that construct Navy submarines.
作为解决美国长期存在的造船问题的整体计划的一部分，该办公室的重点是吸引和留住人才，并解决从薪资和工作与生活平衡到各地区特有的各种问题。
As part of the broader efforts to fix decades-old shipbuilding problems in the US, the office has focused on attracting and retaining workers, as well as addressing everything from pay and work-life balance to problems unique to individual communities.
根据该机构提供的一个例子，通用动力电气船公司（General Dynamics Electric Boat）与罗德岛公共交通局（Rhode Island Public Transit Authority）合作，为昆塞特波因特造船厂（Quonset Point Shipyard）提供了便捷的交通服务。该机构表示，乘客数量逐年翻了一番，而且这一切都没有给海军带来任何额外成本。
In one example provided by the office, General Dynamics Electric Boat partnered with the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority to provide direct service to the Quonset Point shipyard. Ridership has more than doubled year over year, the office said, and it came at no cost to the Navy. In another, the Hampton Roads Workforce Council provides workers with gas cards and bus passes to help them get to work.
在另一个例子中，汉普顿路劳动力委员会（Hampton Roads Workforce Council）为工人提供了汽油卡和公交通行证，帮助他们通勤上班。自2023年9月以来，该委员会旗下的“汉普顿路海事培训计划”（Hampton Roads Maritime Training System）已通过拨款、捐赠以及弗吉尼亚州政府的资助，提供了近20万美元的交通援助。
Since September 2023, the Hampton Roads Maritime Training System program within the council has provided nearly $200,000 in transportation assistance, funded through grants, donations, and the Virginia state government. Housing is also a challenge. The office hasn't funded permanent housing or related subsidies for shipyard or supplier workers. Instead, its efforts involve state and local engagement to expand affordable housing, as well as partnerships with specific yards or vendors.
住房问题同样令人担忧：该机构尚未为造船厂或供应商的工人提供永久性住房或相关补贴，而是通过与地方政府及企业的合作来推动经济适用房的建设。其中一些具体举措专门针对培训生：例如，位于弗吉尼亚州丹维尔（Danville）的“国防制造业加速培训计划”（Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing）为学员在16周的培训期间提供住宿。
Some initiatives specifically support trainees. For instance, the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing program in Danville, Virginia, offers students housing during their 16-week training. The program quickly trains candidates in manufacturing skills and trades to create a sustained flow of workers for jobs in naval shipbuilding and the submarine industrial base.
该计划能够快速培训学员掌握制造业技能和专业知识，从而为海军造船业及潜艇工业基地持续输送所需劳动力。解决住房、薪资及福利等方面的问题，对于吸引和留住海军所需的工人至关重要。据估计，在未来10年内，海军需要招聘25万名技术工人，以弥补现有劳动力的流失和退休情况。
Addressing these issues, along with competitive pay and benefits, is key to recruiting and retaining the workers that the Navy needs to meet its shipbuilding goals. Over the next 10 years, the service estimates it'll need to hire 250,000 skilled workers to account for the expected attrition and retirement in the workforce.