Apprentice School graduates 170

Congratulations are in order for the 170 students who recently graduated from the Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding.

A special shout-out goes to Eric Bevis, winner of the Homer L. Ferguson Award, which goes to the graduate with the highest grade point average in combined required academics and crafts.

After spending 11 years in the Navy, Bevis began working at the shipyard as an electrician. He entered the Apprentice School after four years and completed an advanced program in shipyard operations.

Sen. Tim Kaine delivered the keynote address. The son of an ironworker, Kaine founded and co-chairs a congressional caucus devoted to career and technical education.

He said the caucus uses the Apprentice School as "the national model that others should emulate."

The school accepts about 225 apprentices a year. Its admission rate rivals elite Ivy League schools. It 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 classes.

Associates and bachelor degree programs are available through partnerships with Thomas Nelson Community College, Tidewater Community College and Old Dominion University.

Newport News Shipbuilding is a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, the sole maker of aircraft carriers and one of two companies that builds submarines for the U.S. Navy.