Sydney Davies
July 12, 2018
EB’s Summer High School Intern Program, or SHIP, is a work-based learning internship intended to expand and enhance high school students’ knowledge of work experience, and better facilitate the transition from school to the workplace. Over the next decade, Electric Boat will lose many skilled workers as they begin to retire. By collaborating with local high schools, EB is preparing the next generation workforce, introducing students to high-skill manufacturing careers. “With Electric Boat’s future business outlook, it’s a must that we have multiple pathways to meet the future hiring demands. With an aging workforce, it’s critical that we expose students to high-skilled, high-wage careers here at Electric Boat,” explained Jemiel Rose, SHIP Program Coordinator.
Twenty-six local high school juniors with technical experience are chosen to partake in a six- week summer internship at Electric Boat, where they will work side-by-side with trained mentors who have years of shipbuilding experience under their belt. Jemiel added, “Our focus is to help students understand the importance of workplace skills such as communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork, and punctuality.”
EB’s interns come from a variety of settings, including traditional comprehensive high schools, technical high schools, and early college opportunity programs. The diversity among the current interns is significant, with 9 out of the 26 students being female, and 12 from varied nationalities. In a June 16 article in the Norwich Bulletin, the SHIP program was highlighted, specifically discussing the rise of females in career paths that are typically male-dominated.
Fourteen of the interns work in operational fields alongside carpenters, electricians, machinists, pipefitters, shipfitters, and warehousemen, while 12 focus on design, whether it be electrical, mechanical, piping, HVAC, or structural arrangement jobs.
The SHIP program began on July 9 and will continue through August 17. “I envision the program growing and potentially expanding to more high schools in future years,” said Jemiel.
