The next fiscal year of military spending could be a potential boon for Connecticut’s labor market.

State officials and union representatives said they are hopeful that the Senate will approve the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, bringing roughly $3.5 billion to Stratford-based Sikorsky and a much-needing boost in jobs to the state.

“Sikorsky builds the best helicopter in the world and there is a recognition of that by the Department of Defense and our armed services, so there is unanimity about making a major investment here,” said U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., during a Tuesday address in Stratford with union representatives.

The U.S. House of Representatives greenlit more than $700 billion in funding for defense programs last month as part of almost $1 trillion in spending for the next fiscal year. That includes several contracts that have been secured by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, including production of the CH-53K King Stallion and six new presidential helicopters.

The new NDAA is already out of committee and is set to go before the House this week. If approved, both the appropriations and authorization bills will need a final Senate vote.

“There will be the negotiations between the House and the Senate … that always happens, but there is a bipartisan commitment to the nation’s defense,” said DeLauro, who is chairwoman of the Appropriations subcommittee to the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education.

Barring any drastic changes to the bills, the investment in the defense manufacturing industry is poised to boost future job growth for the state, which has struggled to recover jobs lost during the last recession more than a decade ago.

Along with military spending, DeLauro said, $7 billion is expected to go toward worker training — roughly $250 million going to apprenticeship programs nationwide.

Photo: U.S. Marine Corps Photo By Lance Cpl. Molly Hampton Photo: Alex Brandon / Associated Press

“I think that it is a reality that increasingly good paying jobs require more than a high school diploma,” she said during her Tuesday address, which also featured dozens of high school students hoping to turn their summer internships into fall employment.

Sikorsky has already begun its hiring for the anticipated work load increase. Rocco Calo, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 1150 in Stratford, which represents Sikorsky workers, said the company has been hiring roughly 30 people per month since January.

That is expected to ramp up as the company continues to develop its King Stallion production program. Sikorsky and its suppliers have invested millions into its Stratford-based factory to prepare for production. Calo said the company is looking to start initial production between 2020 and 2021.

“Once that goes into full production, you’re going to see a lot of hiring at Sikorsky,” he said.

jordan.grice@hearstmediact.com