How to Become a Rigger in Virginia

$31/hr

Prepare for shipyard or construction lifting through supervised practice, load assessment and training with Virginia providers.

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About this Guide

Riggers select slings, attach loads and help move heavy material into position. In Newport News shipbuilding, that includes ship sections and equipment. Construction crews face different loads and access conditions. This guide connects training with those duties, explains employer qualification decisions and separates employee rigging work from operating a contracting business.

Who's hiring riggers in Virginia

Virginia · this week
Live on American Recruits

Employers across Virginia are hiring riggers right now

A good share of those postings are open to people at entry level with no licence yet. Live counts move week to week — the training routes below do not.

See who's hiring
Live postings
Steady
Open roles in Virginia
Applicants per role
Low
Few applicants — good time to apply
Typical time to hire
2–4 weeks
From applying to starting

Rigger skill levels in Virginia

The trade is not one job, it is three, and they are separated by what you are legally allowed to do rather than by how good you are. Knowing which level you are aiming at tells you which hours, which exam and which certificates actually matter.

AWhere you startApprentice Rigger

Paid from day one, working under a licensed hand while you bank the hours that lead to your own card.

What they'll actually be doing
  • ✓Material handling, layout and site preparation
  • ✓Basic installation work under supervision
  • ✓Tool and equipment staging for the crew
  • ✓Clean-down, housekeeping and site safety tasks
What they can't do yet — legally
  • ✕Can't work unsupervised on anything the state licenses
  • ✕Can't pull permits or sign inspection paperwork
What they need to hold
OSHA 10 (Construction)Apprentice registration where the state requires itFirst Aid / CPR
Worth doing
Take every free ticket your employer offers. At this level they cost you nothing, they follow you for the rest of your career, and they make you more employable than the next apprentice.
Where recruiters stall
People get stuck here by not documenting hours. If nobody signed for them, the board won't count them, and four years of work can turn into two years of credit.
Only hire when
You can run a small task without being walked through it, and your hours log is signed and current.
JThe main goalJourneyman Rigger

Qualified to work on your own. This is the level nearly every job ad is really asking for, and the biggest pay step you will ever get.

What they'll actually be doing
  • ✓Install and troubleshoot without supervision
  • ✓Read and build from drawings without constant clarification
  • ✓Take responsibility for your own work at inspection
  • ✓Direct one to three apprentices on a task
What they can't do yet — legally
  • ✕Can't pull permits in your own name in most states
  • ✕Can't act as licence-holder of record across sites
What they need to hold
Journeyman card where the state issues oneOSHA 30 (Construction)Trade-specific safety training, kept current
Worth doing
Sit the exam the month you become eligible. Every month you wait is money you are not earning at the higher rate, and the material is freshest right after your classroom hours finish.
Where recruiters stall
The exam is where most people stall, usually on lookup speed rather than knowledge. Practise finding answers in the book against a clock, not just reading it.
Only hire when
Your hours are in, your instruction is done, and you can size a job and defend the answer without checking.
MWhere it leadsMaster / Lead Rigger

You run work rather than just do it: crews across sites, permits where the trade allows, and the option of qualifying a business of your own.

What they'll actually be doing
  • ✓Run crews across more than one site
  • ✓Own compliance and inspection outcomes
  • ✓Estimate and scope packages of work
  • ✓Train and sign off the people below you
What they can't do yet — legally
  • ✕Still can't trade as a business without a contractor licence, insurance and usually a bond
What they need to hold
Master or supervisor card where the state issues oneContinuing education current for the licence cycleOSHA 30 and trade safety training kept current
Worth doing
The card is worth money even if you never start a company: shops need a qualifying individual and will pay a premium for one who stays.
Where recruiters stall
People reach this level and discover that running a business is a different job from running a crew. Learn estimating and cashflow before you take the leap, not after.
Only hire when
You have held the level below for the required period and you have been running work rather than doing it.

What does a rigger earn in Virginia?

Riggers in Virginia start around $23.63 an hour and reach $36.80 at the top of the trade. Once you are working unsupervised the middle of the market sits near $30.59.

Hourly range
$23.63–$36.80
Virginia · per hour
See the full rigger salary guide →

What you're legally required to have

Employees demonstrate rigging competence to employers. Virginia construction contracting generally requires business licensing above $1,000, subject to exemptions. Employers must provide safety instruction and qualified riggers for specified construction lifts.

Licence & registrationMust haveGet this wrong and the hours you work may not count toward your licence.0 / 3
0 / 3
Safety trainingMust haveWithout these you won't get through the gate on most sites.0 / 3
0 / 3
Working legally & getting paidMust haveKnow your status before you start — it decides your tax and your cover.0 / 3
0 / 3
Site access & practicalSite-drivenDriven by the site you are sent to rather than by law, but they still stop a start date.0 / 3
0 / 3

Where to train as a rigger in Virginia

Shipbuilding apprenticeship combines lifting practice with trade theory. College instruction develops rigging and crane communication skills. Specialist classes cover hardware, load positioning and signals for people already performing routine rigging work.

Shipbuilding apprenticeship

The Apprentice School

Newport News Shipbuilding hires apprentices into its registered program. Rigger training covers ship sections, wire rope, blocking and staging. Accepted apprentices pay no tuition, but buy required equipment and pay activity fees. The school combines classroom instruction with production work. Apply through admissions for an employed training place in the rigger discipline.
Typical length4–5 years
What it costs$0 tuition
College training

Camp Community College

The Franklin Rigger and Signal Person Bundle includes Core and lists a spring 2027 session. Training addresses crane safety and communication. Full tuition includes one certification exam, with reduced grant pricing for eligible students. The named bundle differs from the separate Core course. Ask Workforce Development about the published bundle schedule and enrollment requirements.
Typical length65 hours
What it costs$4,500 full tuition
Specialist course

ABC Virginia

Dulles hosts Mid Atlantic OTI's Rigger & Signal Person Trainer course for routine riggers working under supervision. December instruction covers hardware and signals. Fees include training materials and lunch, with separate member and nonmember prices. Practice covers hand, voice and radio communication alongside sling types and positioning loads. The advertised course excludes special lifting assignments.
Typical length2 days
What it costs$895–$1,095

What recruiters actually look for

Certificates get you past the first filter. These are the things foremen and recruiters decide on, and they change depending on which level you are applying at.

Qualities that get you hired

01You turn up, every day, on time
Why it matters: At apprentice level nobody expects you to be fast or skilled yet. Attendance is genuinely what separates the apprentices who get kept from the ones who do not.
02You ask instead of guessing
Why it matters: Shops would far rather answer the same question twice than fix a mistake behind a wall. Asking reads as safety awareness, not ignorance.
03You own basic tools and look after them
Why it matters: It signals you take the trade seriously. Turning up with nothing tells a foreman you might not be back next month.
04You can take a correction without sulking
Why it matters: The trade runs on blunt feedback. How you take it in week one tells a foreman whether you are worth training.

What holds people back

!

No signed record of your supervised hours

!

Long gaps with no explanation at all

!

Leaving three or four shops inside a year

!

No OSHA card when the site requires one

!

Certifications that lapsed and were never renewed

!

Listing a licence as 'in progress' as though it is held

!

No supervisor anyone can call

From no experience to hired

The realistic route, start to finish. Most of it is paid — you are earning from the point you are taken on, not from the point you are licensed.

Month 0–3

Decide and enrol

Month 3–12

Get taken on as an apprentice

Year 1–4

Bank your supervised hours

Year 4

Sit the licence exam

Year 4+

Get hired at journey rate

Certifications that pay off

Sorted by payback speed.

CertificationRate bumpExtra / yearCostPayback
The Apprentice School (Newport News Shipbuilding) Apprenticeship (journeyperson)+$6.40$13,312$00 weeks
OSHA 30-Hour Construction+$1.33$2,766$1593 weeks
Fall Protection Competent Person+$0.36$749$14911 weeks
NCCCO Signalperson+$0.36$749$22516 weeks
NCCCO Rigger Level II+$1.42$2,954$1,63929 weeks
NCCCO Rigger Level I+$1.07$2,226$1,75041 weeks

Questions people ask

Does a rigging certificate qualify me for every lift?▾
No. Under VOSH, Virginia's state OSHA plan, your employer determines qualification for the particular load, equipment and task. Qualified riggers are required during crane assembly/disassembly hoisting and specified fall-zone work. NCCCO Level I and II require written and practical exams, so discuss unfamiliar loads with your supervisor.
Can I move from shipyard training into construction?▾
Yes. Federal OSHA keeps maritime jurisdiction in Virginia, while construction sites fall under VOSH, so ask which standards govern the new job. Describe your actual lifting experience when applying, since construction employers still qualify you for their loads.
When does contractor licensing become relevant?▾
It concerns accepting construction contracts independently. Virginia has a limited exemption for work of $25,000 or less for appropriately licensed RBC, CBC or HIC contractors. Ask DPOR about your business scope and applicable exemptions.

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Source: Current BLS Virginia employee wages for Riggers, SOC 49-9096; cross-industry wages exclude premium pay and benefits.

Last updated October 26, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.