Website Hii Header Logo

NEWSROOM

VIRGINIA SECRETARY OF EDUCATION ANNE HOLTON TOURS THE APPRENTICE SCHOOL AT NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUILDING

  • NEWPORT NEWS SHIPBUILDING, PEOPLE
  • News Release
Holtonvisit10july14 Hero
Download photo

Share Article

Download photo

Share Article

Vector Vector(1) Vector(2)

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., July 10, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) hosted Virginia Secretary of Education Anne Holton Wednesday for a tour of The Apprentice School at the company's Newport News Shipbuilding division.

Danny Hunley, Newport News' vice president of operations, and Everett Jordan, The Apprentice School's education director, led the tour of the 90,000-square-foot facility, which includes eight computer labs, two video teleconferencing classrooms, a physics lab and a 600-seat gymnasium. Holton was also joined by Virginia Deputy Secretary of Education Dietra Trent, Virginia Director of STEM Megan Healy and two summer interns working in Holton's office.

During the tour, Holton visited several classrooms to receive feedback from apprentices. She asked a group of second-term apprentices studying geometry if they were able to relate their classroom learning to their individual jobs. "I'm amazed at how many heads are nodding," Holton said. "You aren't just learning this in abstract but in a way that matters."

Holtonvisit10july14 Hero
Virginia Secretary of Education Anne Holton Visits The Apprentice School

The Apprentice School offers four- to eight-year, tuition-free apprenticeships in 19 trades and eight optional advanced programs. Apprentices work a regular 40-hour week and are paid for all work, including time spent in academic classes. Through partnerships with Old Dominion University, Thomas Nelson Community College and Tidewater Community College, the school's academic program provides the opportunity to earn associate degrees in business administration, engineering and engineering technology and bachelor's degrees in mechanical or electrical engineering.

"I'm so excited to see the phenomenal work going on at The Apprentice School and the level of commitment shown to the employees and this community," Holton said. "We hope to take these lessons learned to our employers and our constituents across the Commonwealth."

The secret to The Apprentice School's success is collaboration, Hunley said. "As a society, we tend to educate and then hand-off students to an employer," he said. "It's important that educators and employers work together."

Hunley added that the new facility, which opened last fall, would not exist if it weren't for similar collaboration. The shipyard partnered with developer Armada Hoffler, the City of Newport News and the Commonwealth of Virginia on the project.

When asked by Holton how the state could assist in the school's success, Hunley said it already has. "Please go back to Richmond," he said, "and tell the folks who had the insight and the courage to provide the seed money for this project that it worked and it was money well spent."

About Huntington Ingalls

Huntington Ingalls Industries designs, builds and manages the life-cycle of the most complex nuclear and conventionally-powered ships for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. For more than a century, HII’s Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HII also provides engineering and project management services expertise to the commercial energy industry, the Department of Energy and other government customers. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs more than 39,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit:

Download text file

MEDIA CONTACT

Danny Hernandez

General Inquiries

RELATED NEWS

NEVER MISS A STORY

Stay updated about HII news as it happens

RELATED NEWS

Arkansas Ssn 800 In The Mof For Pressure Hull Complete

Propelling forward: HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division featured in Virginia Business Magazine

Project Mfg Welding Competition At Ingalls Shipbuilding 1

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding Hosts Project MFG Welding Competition

Arkansas Ssn 800 In The Mof For Pressure Hull Complete

HII Marks Arkansas (SSN 800) Construction Milestone at Newport News Shipbuilding

Website Hii Footer Logo 23
Policies & Terms
Homeport
HII Store
Navigation
Corporate Locations

HII Corporate Headquarters

4101 Washington Ave.
Newport News, VA 23607

Newport News Shipbuilding

4101 Washington Ave
Newport News, VA 23607

HII Corporate Headquarters

4101 Washington Ave.
Newport News, VA 23607

Ingalls Shipbuilding

1000 Jerry St. Pe’ Highway
Pascagoula, MS 39568

Mission Technologies

8350 Broad Street, Suite 1400
McLean, VA 22102

HII Washington, DC

300 M Street SE
Washington, DC 20003

Vector.svg Group.svg Group1.svg Vector2.svg
Logo For Menu