Page 65: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2013)

www.marinelink.com 65job came out. When I returned to the yard in Norfolk, I wanted to see what it was like on the other side of the ?green line.? In the shipyard, there?s a green line literally painted on the ground. On one side is the production area where you have to wear all of your safety and personal protective equipment. The oth- er side is the ofÞ ces, and guys that get us the work out here on these ships.So you took an ofÞ ce job? I applied to be a contract esti- mator, and got a position estimating on government contracts. A lot of times, as you get into the availability, a job will grow, and requires additional funding. I would estimate it, and negotiate a rea-sonable price with the customer to Þ x that certain item. But after about nine months I realized that I still wanted to weld, and be a part of the weld shop. The desk was not for me. Sadly, my mentor passed away and his position became open. My instructor motivated me, pushed me through and showed me some good skills that I felt I could pass on to the up and coming apprentices. I talked to the head of the shop and told him I really wanted to be an apprentice instructor. I was chosen for the position. Now I?m an apprentice instructor and a craft supervisor. My Þ rst priority is the apprentices, but I also help out with cer- tain jobs on the ships, and maintain pro-cedures and certiÞ cations, and I certify everyone in the yard who is qualiÞ ed to weld?subcontractors, welders, ship Þ t-ters, and mechanics. If you are going to weld any type of material, you come through me Þ rst. We are in the process of getting new procedures and certiÞ ca-tions so we can be able to weld different things?the more we can weld, the more work we can get. When you are instructing apprentices, do you have anything to do with their classes at school? I am involved as far as keeping them up on their grades, their attendance and their studies. If I get a report that a person is not doing so well, I pull them in and talk to them, and let them know about tutoring or other classes or re-sources that are available to them. They have core classes such as English, read-ing, and math. The apprentice program trains you for leadership, with public speaking classes along with Excel and PowerPoint. But when you Þ rst get into the program you also have a class called ?Ships Nomenclature.? For me, since I had never been on a ship, this class was my Þ rst introduction to the shipyard. I learned how to get around on a ship, tie knots, and basic safety practices. Some people take it lightly, but it?s a very im- portant class, and if you have never been on a ship, it?s vital. What?s involved with the welding school, and what do you teach there? The company made a signi Þ -cant investment in a new training facil-ity. My apprentices rotate through the weld school every six months and re-ceive different certi Þ cations each time. Mechanics that come through are given the same training and guidance as an ap-prentice, just in a shorter time. I train them all to do good quality work on the vessels.Is it a case where some people pick )OR6FDQ,QVWUXPHQW&R,QF_6HDWWOH:$86$ _HPDLOVDOHV#IORVFDQFRPIRUTXRWHV Read the Case StudyZZZIORVFDQFRP MR #11 (58-65).indd 65MR #11 (58-65).indd 6511/11/2013 12:23:08 PM11/11/2013 12:23:08 PM