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Gaining a Place to Learn 3-2011 |
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Gaining a Place to Learn
The apprentice program at Trident Refit Facility changes lives. People with no certain direction for their futures find a trade and a steady job with health insurance, paid vacation and a federal retirement plan. Others swap a series of dead-end jobs for a place to grow and learn.
Approximately 1,330 civilians help manufacture parts for and repair the Ohio-class submarines stationed at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base. By 2016, 627 employees will be eligible to retire.While many will stay for the income—seven of the 270 eligible by March will retire—some will depart, leaving skilled workers and novice apprentices to fill their jobs.
The application period for the facility’s apprentice program begins Monday. Likely, hundreds of people will apply for 35 spots. The new group will spend at least a year taking basic and trade courses at Altamaha Technical College.
Those who miss out can take hope, literally. Although fewer students will qualify for full tuition under Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship, many could receive partial aid to attend college or trade school.
Altamaha Technical College, which offers classes in Camden County, plans to construct a campus near Harrietts Bluff and is moving forward with the logistics.
Business may not be booming but we are gaining the educational resources to learn job skills and become a more able workforce.
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