Apprenticeship program benefits Electric Boat submarine designers

The labor movement has historically been at the forefront of helping workers improve their job performance and satisfaction through education and training programs that reinforce the link between high skills and high wages.

One such initiative can be found at Electric Boat in Groton, where design apprentices are working toward their associate's degree on company time thanks to an innovative agreement between the Marine Draftsmen's Association-UAW Local 571 and company management.

The apprenticeship program enables members of the MDA-UAW to get academic credit for courses and work assignments at EB, while fulfilling the remainder of their academic requirements for an associate of science degree in Ship Systems Design Technology through Maine Maritime Academy.

"I was a design apprentice myself, and I've always thought we needed a
program to entice workers to go further in their education" MDA-UAW Local 571 President Mel Olsson said. "This is a great opportunity for our design apprentices."

UAW Local 571 members agree wholeheartedly with Olsson and attribute their new educational potential to the presence of a union committed not just to improving wages and benefits, but also skill development.

"This particular apprenticeship program is structured to be friendly to
working people," said Beau St. Hillaire, a piping designer at Electric Boat.

Added Jason Thompson, who also works in piping design, "This associate's degree program is exciting, and it would not have happened without our union."

Olsson said that more than 140 design apprentices have been accepted into the program with Maine Maritime, which also provides similar services to union members at the shipyard in Bath, Maine.

UAW members at Electric Boat do not have to travel to Maine for their coursework. Rather, the university presents the courses from its Castine, Maine campus using video teleconferencing capabilities. Program participants attend classes on company time, with EB picking up the costs for tuition, administrative fees, classrooms with VTC capabilities and internet access.

So, thanks to virtual learning and the persistence of their union, Electric Boat design apprentices are getting smarter on the job, and for the rest of their work lives.

"My union mean more than job security," said electrical designer Laura
Boire. "My union means job satisfaction."

<a href="http://www.ctaflcio.org/stories.htm">http://www.ctaflcio.org/stories.htm</a> Received on Fri Dec 22 20:05:00 2000