Author: Matthew Riley
Program Specialist for MAP and Rapid Response
Ingalls Apprentice Graduation is an annual event celebrating the graduating class of the Ingalls Apprentice School. The recent graduation ceremony was held Saturday, August 3, 2019, at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi. Nine different crafts were represented among the 159 graduates who completed the competitive programs where they worked full-time while learning their trade through a combination of classroom instruction and on-the-job training.
Ingalls leaders, community stakeholders, Dr. Mary S. Graham, President of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, and others attended the event. Mississippi Speaker of the House, Philip Gunn, delivered the keynote address. “The prosperity of Mississippi begins with people like you,” he said. “The careers for which you are now prepared are the backbone of America. Over 60 percent of the jobs in America are held by people like you who make up a skilled and educated workforce. So, when I say the work you do is the backbone of America, I am not exaggerating. It is the truth.”
Since 1952, Ingalls Apprentice School has produced nearly 5,000 graduates trained to fulfill the shipyard’s operational needs. Housed at the Haley Reeves Barbour Maritime Training Academy, the program offers a comprehensive two, three and four-year curricula in partnership with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for students interested in shipbuilding careers. Matthew Riley, Program Specialist for the Mississippi Apprenticeship Program and Rapid Respond at the MCCB attended the ceremony. MCCB congratulates our MAP partner, Ingalls Shipbuilding, as they continue leading the way in innovative apprenticeship training.
