Page 39: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2021)

SHIPBUILDING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

The Apprent ce School at

Newport News Shipbuilding is much more than learning a shipbuilding trade, it is the company’s “leadership factory.”

Dr. Lat t a McCane

Director of Educat on, The Apprent ce

School at Newport News Shipbuilding

Watch the interview with Dr. Latitia McCane @ bit.ly/3rKFLJd teaching them about what it feels like to be an apprentice,” The Apprentice School, like the rest of the world, has been said Dr. McCane, and exposure and mentoring regimen now impacted by COVID, which has resulted in investment in edu- in its second year. Ultimately, the success of The Apprentice cational technologies to better reach students – both prospec-

School and the shipbuilder too is increasingly pegged to these tive and actual – at a distance. “One of the things that we’ve outreach programs, partnering with communities to expose been fortunate this year is how do you do technical training them to the possibilities of a career in shipbuilding. in this pandemic? And so we’ve been fortunate enough to be “We have 45 high school students that we’re training virtu- able to bring in some augmented and virtual reality training,” ally right now, exposing them to the trades,” said Dr. McCane, said Dr. McCane. “We’ve been fortunate to be able to get fed- and the process of getting families involved in the educational eral and state funding, to help us with the technology that we process is deeply personal to her. “I’m a product of a manufac- need to reach them. Like I said, we’re engaging with 45 high turing because my father worked in chemical manufacturing school students today. We have three training programs that and he took me to his chemical company. I told myself ‘when we’re doing with them virtually. We wouldn’t be able to do

I grow up, I’m going to work at my dad’s chemical company.’ that if we didn’t have our augmented and virtual reality equip-

And I did that, as they gave me internships while I was in high ment that we purchased over the past year because of the in- school. So being able to feel it, touch it (is an important part vestment that our federal government and state government of the process. When I got my ? rst chemist position and I had is putting into our communities. We’re investing in people, to put that hard hat on, it was my comfort zone because I grew young people with bright minds, and I think that that’s the best up in my dad’s world.” feeling in the world.” www.marinelink.com 39

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