HII graduates 184 shipbuilders from the Apprentice School at NNS

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) hosted commencement exercises on Saturday for 184 graduates of the company’s Apprentice School located at Newport News Shipbuilding. The ceremony was held at Liberty Baptist Church Worship Center in Hampton, the shipbuilding group said in a press release.

Eighty-eight apprentices completed an optional, advanced program, which includes coursework in subjects such as marine design, production planning, modeling and simulation, and marine engineering—culminating with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Seventy-nine apprentices earned honors, which combines academic and craft grades to determine overall performance. Fifteen graduates completed the program with a perfect 4.0 grade point average in the required academic curriculum. Nineteen graduates were recognized as Gold Athletic Award recipients for outstanding achievement in four consecutive years of Apprentice School collegiate athletics.
Of the 184 graduates, 13 are military veterans or are currently serving in the Armed Services as reservists and guardsmen.

Evan George Danz received the Homer L. Ferguson Award for earning the highest grade point average for required academic and craft grades combined. Danz is a naval architect who began his shipbuilding career in 2013 as an outside machinist apprentice.

The Apprentice School accepts about 225 apprentices per year. The school offers four- to eight-year, tuition-free apprenticeships in 19 trades and eight optional advanced programs. Apprentices work a 40-hour week and are paid for all work, including time spent in academic classes. Through partnerships with Thomas Nelson Community College, Tidewater Community College and Old Dominion University, The Apprentice 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.

About Huntington Ingalls Industries
Huntington Ingalls Industries is America’s largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. 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’s Technical Solutions division provides a wide range of professional services through its Fleet Support, Integrated Missions Solutions, Nuclear & Environmental, and Oil & Gas groups. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs nearly 37,000 people operating both domestically and internationally.