Austal USA honoured 15 graduates of Austal's cutting-edge four-year apprenticeship program yesterday at a ceremony held in the new Office Complex Multi-Use Room. This was recently the same backdrop for a ribbon-cutting ceremony which celebrated the official opening of three new buildings at Austal's shipbuilding operation in Mobile, Alabama.
The graduates received their certificates of completion and designation as Department of Labour Class A Journeymen. The graduating class consisted of six electrical journeymen, four pipe fitting journeymen, and five fabrication journeymen.
Austal's apprenticeship program is certified by the US Department of Labour, Alabama Department of Post Secondary Education, and the Veteran's Administration. It is governed by the Department of Labour Standards of Apprenticeship for the respective trades of Pipefitter, Marine Electrician, Fabricator, and Fitout. The Alabama Department of Post Secondary Education has approved our four trade programs for the Veteran's Administration which means that all eligible veterans may now apply for and receive GI Bill benefits that were earned for military service. The Department of Labour requires that each candidate complete a minimum of 576 hours of classroom time and an additional 8,000 hours of on-the-job-learning over the four-year period.
Austal USA is a full-service shipyard offering design, construction and high-speed vessel service and repair. As Austal USA continues to expand its service and repair capabilities, the company is well-positioned for new business with engineering, test and trials capabilities, and a new waterfront facility all co-located on the Mobile Bay waterfront.
Austal is currently under contract with the US Navy to build nine 103 metre JHSVs under a 10-ship, USD1.6 billion contract and five 127 metre Independence-variant LCS class ships, four of which are a part of a 10-ship, USD3.5 billion contract.
For the LCS and JHSV programs, Austal, as prime contractor, is teamed with General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics. As the ship systems integrator, General Dynamics is responsible for the design, integration and testing of the ship's electronic systems including the combat system, networks, and seaframe control. General Dynamics' proven open architecture approach allows for affordable and efficient capability growth as technologies develop.
These two contracts will require Austal to increase its Mobile, Alabama workforce to approximately 4,000 employees in order to fulfil the contract requirements.