The Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding was founded in 1919 and is the preeminent apprenticeship program in the nation. The school offers four-, five-, and eight-year apprenticeships in nineteen shipbuilding disciplines and eight advanced programs of study.
The Apprentice School is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education and registered with the Virginia Apprenticeship Council and offers apprentices the opportunity to earn college credit, receive competitive pay and benefits, and learn a trade.
The school is committed to fostering apprentices’ development of craftsmanship, scholarship and leadership.
Leadership Development
Apprentices become leaders in the classroom and on the waterfront through the development of The Apprentice School’s nine leadership principles:
- Integrity
- Commitment
- Improvement
- Respect
- Teamwork
- Empowerment
- Communication
- Planning
- Decision Making
Graduates of The Apprentice School are well prepared to continue Newport News Shipbuilding’s long tradition of building the most complex and powerful naval vessels in the world.
Craft Instructors
Over 100 years ago, the school introduced the role of craft instructor to help apprentices develop the core leadership principles and craftsmanship necessary for a successful shipbuilding career. Today, almost 70 craft instructors ensure apprentices receive the training and the types of jobs they need to develop targeted skill sets, document the apprentices’ skills development and provide them with regular and consistent evaluations.
Academic Instructors
The Apprentice School’s academic instructors deliver the courses in business, communications, drafting, history, mathematics, physics, psychology, ship construction, and shipbuilding technology. Academic instructors create classroom experiences to prepare apprentices for work in their shipbuilding trades, to continue their education in one of the school’s advanced programs and to further their education through Newport News Shipbuilding’s Educational Assistance Program.
Relationship to Newport News Shipbuilding
Because of the unique nature of apprenticeship, The Apprentice School and its leadership are structured within Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries. HII is a global engineering and defense technologies provider. The Apprentice School provides quality training and education for Newport News Shipbuilding.
