The U.S. Department of Labor will recognize Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF) and Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) apprentice programs, as 21st Century Registered Apprenticeship Trailblazers and Innovators, Aug. 1, in Washington, D.C.
Registered Apprenticeship is a Department of Labor program that connects job seekers looking to learn new skills with employers looking for qualified workers.
The Naval Sea Systems Command shipyards use their apprentice programs as part of their efforts to develop an agile, flexible, and diverse workforce focused on recruiting and hiring superior candidates.
The shipyards’ four-year apprenticeship programs combine trade theory, academics, and on-the-job training. Apprentices are paid to attend all required curriculum. The educational partners provide accredited academic courses that result in an academic certificate and/or degree. Following completion of the required academics, apprentices document on-the-job learning and complete the trade theory and skills training which result in journey-level certificates from both the Department of Labor and the Department of the Navy.
PSNS & IMF’s apprentice program began in 1901. It has produced nearly 9,000 graduates throughout its 111 years of continuous operations. The program’s tie to secondary education began in 1925, and now each graduate receives an associate degree in technical arts from educational partner Olympic College. The program currently has 812 apprentices in 28 trades related to the repair and maintenance of the naval fleet.
NNSY also operates one of the nation’s oldest and most vital apprentice programs, observing its 100th anniversary Jan 2, 2013. Registered by the United States Department of Labor in 1970, it currently trains approximately 700 apprentices in 24 skilled occupations each year. NNSY partners with Tidewater Community College to provide the required academic courses. The NNSY apprenticeship program has been recognized twice in the past five years by the Virginia Apprenticeship Council for its outstanding apprentices.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, July 27, 2012