NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — More than 26,000 people build aircraft carriers and submarines at Newport News Shipbuilding, and someone has to teach the people who build them.
One of the key pipelines to build the workforce and keep up with the needs of the U.S. Navy is the nearby Apprentice School, run by Huntington Ingalls Industries, now known as HII.
“We make anything from washers that go in coffee pots to the assembly that actually steers the ship,” said apprentice Rachel Mantell, 32, one of about 50 in the current class. “I feel a lot of pride in the quality of my work.”…