MOBILE, Ala. — Gov. Kay Ivey visited Austal USA’s Mobile shipyard Wednesday morning as the company highlighted a new apprenticeship program made up entirely of military veterans.
The four-year program takes men and women with military backgrounds and trains them in shipbuilding trades. The first all-veteran class started in May, with the first two years devoted primarily to classroom instruction and the final two spent largely in hands-on, on-the-job training at the yard.
A path from uniform to trade
Ivey addressed employees during the visit, speaking about the company’s value to the state’s economy. Veterans in the program described it as a bridge between military service and a civilian career.
“It’s been a great opportunity because not many people know that coming out of the military it’s kind of difficult for a veteran to find a job,” said apprentice Chase Thornton, who added that he was grateful to find the apprenticeship with Austal.
The program reflects a broader challenge for Gulf Coast manufacturers: skilled-trade positions at Mobile’s largest industrial employer have historically been hard to fill, and veterans — already accustomed to technical work, discipline and shift-based schedules — have proven a natural fit for shipyard jobs.