Newport News Shipbuilding’s Apprentice School hosted a Future Opportunities Reaching Workforce Apprentice Readiness Development (FORWARD) pre-apprenticeship event on Saturday, Aug. 1. The three-hour event gave high school students and their parents a glimpse of the opportunities The Apprentice School offers while networking with the skilled team.

Over 100 students and parents were present, including attendees from as far as Iowa and Texas.

Xavier Beale, vice president of Human Resources, welcomed guests and discussed the important role NNS plays in the nation’s defense. Admissions and pre-apprenticeship representatives led an information session to cover application processes, deadlines and program benefits.

Faculty members and apprentice volunteers then led attendees through various activity stations, including a tour of the school, a team-building challenge and Innovation Lab activities. Students were also invited to bring copies of their transcripts for on-the-spot review and recommendations.

These events make a huge impact in exposing the next workforce generation to lifelong career pathways available to them NNS. The next FORWARD event is Oct. 24.

More details and the registration link will be regularly updated on https://www.as.edu/special-event-for-high-school-students/.