The Apprentice School
Encyclopedia
The Apprentice School is a four-year apprenticeship
vocational school
founded and operated by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company
in Newport News, Virginia
. The school trains students for careers in the shipbuilding
industry. It is not a traditional college
in that it does not grant degrees -- associate's degree
s earned by students in the program are earned through Thomas Nelson Community College
-- but it does compete athletically with other small colleges.
Homer L. Ferguson
.
are accepted on a rolling basis.
Monthly selection meetings are held at which all qualified applicants are considered for available openings. Offers are extended to applicants whom the Admissions Office determines to be best qualified for the openings available.
Successful candidates are offered both employment
at Newport News Shipbuilding and enrollment at the Apprentice School. Each successful candidate will be scheduled for a medical examination
that includes a substance abuse
screening test administered by Newport News Shipbuilding's Medical Department. Employment and enrollment is contingent on the results of the medical examination. Candidates to whom an offer is extended will be subject to a United States Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information
.
gives students the opportunity to earn an associate degree from Thomas Nelson Community College.
Apprenticeships are offered in 17 skilled trades:
Advanced programs are offered in five areas:
The Apprentice School was first awarded accreditation
by the Commission on Occupational Education Institutions, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
in 1982. In 1995, it transferred its accreditation from there to the Accrediting Commission of the Council on Occupational Education.
The Apprentice School fields six Division III-Level athletic teams, but because it does not grant degrees, it is not affiliated with the NCAA or NAIA
.
Apprentice's football
team is a member of the Atlantic Central Football Conference
and is coached by Mike Vite. The wrestling
team is a member of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association
, and men's and women's basketball
, men's golf
and baseball
are all part of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association
.
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
vocational school
Vocational school
A vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job...
founded and operated by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company
Northrop Grumman Newport News
Newport News Shipbuilding , originally Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , was the largest privately-owned shipyard in the United States prior to being purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001...
in Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
. The school trains students for careers in the shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
industry. It is not a traditional college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
in that it does not grant degrees -- associate's degree
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
s earned by students in the program are earned through Thomas Nelson Community College
Thomas Nelson Community College
Thomas Nelson Community College is a two-year college located in Virginia. It has two campuses - one located in Hampton, and the other in James City County near Williamsburg. It also has two education centers The Southeast Higher Education Center in Newport News and the Williamsburg Discovery...
-- but it does compete athletically with other small colleges.
History
The school was established on July 1, 1919 by issue of Executive Order No. 24 at Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, signed by General managerGeneral manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
Homer L. Ferguson
Homer L. Ferguson
Homer Lenoir Ferguson was an author and businessman. He was President of Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia from July 22, 1915 through July 31, 1946.- Biography :...
.
Admissions
Admissions is competitive, although an exact admission rate is not known. ApplicationsCollege application
-United States:A college application is part of the competitive college admissions system. Admissions departments usually require students to complete an application for admission that generally consists of academic records, personal essays , letters of recommendation, and a list of extracurricular...
are accepted on a rolling basis.
Monthly selection meetings are held at which all qualified applicants are considered for available openings. Offers are extended to applicants whom the Admissions Office determines to be best qualified for the openings available.
Successful candidates are offered both employment
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
at Newport News Shipbuilding and enrollment at the Apprentice School. Each successful candidate will be scheduled for a medical examination
Physical examination
Physical examination or clinical examination is the process by which a doctor investigates the body of a patient for signs of disease. It generally follows the taking of the medical history — an account of the symptoms as experienced by the patient...
that includes a substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
screening test administered by Newport News Shipbuilding's Medical Department. Employment and enrollment is contingent on the results of the medical examination. Candidates to whom an offer is extended will be subject to a United States Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information
Classified information
Classified information is sensitive information to which access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of persons. A formal security clearance is required to handle classified documents or access classified data. The clearance process requires a satisfactory background investigation...
.
Academics
All apprentices are required to complete the School's "World Class Shipbuilder Curriculum" and applicable courses in the "Trade Related Education Curriculum." The curriculumCurriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
gives students the opportunity to earn an associate degree from Thomas Nelson Community College.
Apprenticeships are offered in 17 skilled trades:
- Heating & Air ConditioningHVACHVAC refers to technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer...
- PipefitterPipe fittingPipe fitting is the occupation of installing or repairing piping or tubing systems that convey liquid, gas, and occasionally solid materials...
& Pipefitter - Maintenance - Painter-Insulator
- Outside Machinist
- Heavy Metal Fabricator
- Non-Destructive Tester (NDT)
- Shipfitter
- WelderWelderA welder is a tradesman who specializes in welding materials together. The materials to be joined can be metals or varieties of plastic or polymer...
& Welding Equipment Repair - Dimensional Control Technician
- MachinistMachinistA machinist is a person who uses machine tools to make or modify parts, primarily metal parts, a process known as machining. This is accomplished by using machine tools to cut away excess material much as a woodcarver cuts away excess wood to produce his work. In addition to metal, the parts may...
- Sheet Metal Worker
- Rigger
- ElectricianElectricianAn electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also...
- Electrician Maintenance
- MillwrightMillwrightA millwright is a craftsman or tradesman engaged with the construction and maintenance of machinery.Early millwrights were specialist carpenters who erected machines used in agriculture, food processing and processing lumber and paper...
Advanced programs are offered in five areas:
- Marine Designer
- Modeling & Simulation
- Nuclear Test Technician
- Production Planner
- Advanced Shipyard Operations
The Apprentice School was first awarded accreditation
Educational accreditation
Educational accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met...
by the Commission on Occupational Education Institutions, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
in 1982. In 1995, it transferred its accreditation from there to the Accrediting Commission of the Council on Occupational Education.
Campus
The school is physically located at Northrop Grumman Corporation's Newport News Sector (formally Newport News Shipbuilding). Some of the upper-level academic courses are taken at Thomas Nelson Community College.Athletics
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
.
Apprentice's football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team is a member of the Atlantic Central Football Conference
Atlantic Central Football Conference
The Atlantic Central Football Conference is a college athletic conference which competes in football only in the NCAA Division III...
and is coached by Mike Vite. The wrestling
Collegiate wrestling
Collegiate wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the collegiate and university level in the United States. Collegiate wrestling emerged from the folk wrestling styles practised in the early history of the United States...
team is a member of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association
National Collegiate Wrestling Association
The National Collegiate Wrestling Association is a post secondary athletic association built to help the promotion of collegiate wrestling...
, and men's and women's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, men's golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
are all part of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association
United States Collegiate Athletic Association
The United States Collegiate Athletic Association is a national organization in the USA for the intercollegiate athletic programs of less than 100 small colleges, community collegs and junior colleges. It holds 11 "National Championship" tournaments in seven sports...
.