July 9, 2025
This August, Birdon is taking a significant step towards workforce expansion by launching an Apprenticeship Program at its Bayou La Batre Shipyard. This initiative is part of Birdon’s strategic plan to fulfill the Waterways Commerce Cutter contract for the U.S. Coast Guard and transform the shipyard into a premier Tier 2 facility through substantial capital investments and improvements.
Birdon will take on ten ship fitting apprentices from the local area for an approximate two year program. The new apprentices will work closely with experienced Birdon Shipfitters to develop techniques, knowledge and skills necessary for a successful career in the shipbuilding industry. The program is certified through the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship and will utilize National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) curriculum.
Mark Scott is Birdon’s Apprentice Program Director and will be responsible for the program development, monitoring on-the-job training with mentors, evaluating classroom training, and administration.
“Our process began by engaging with customers and experienced deck plate leadership to pinpoint the exact skills needed by our foremen and quality engineers,” said Scott. “With that insight, we crafted targeted learning objectives and a curriculum designed to meet those specific needs. We’re now focused on recruiting passionate candidates and ensuring the program provides a meaningful and impactful experience for every apprentice.”
“Apprentices are the foundation of our workforce,” adds Scott, “when they build a strong foundation of skills, there’s so many opportunities for them to grow wherever their careers take them.”
Birdon is developing its apprenticeship program entirely in-house, with computer based and classroom teaching to be conducted at the facility by certified Birdon instructors. Hands-on training will be done in small groups or one-on-one in the shipyard. Multiple Bridon employees will be responsible for the classroom instruction and have undergone certification and training specifically to this task.
Michael Rooney, Production Control/Planner-Scheduler is co-chair of the apprenticeship committee and will be a classroom Instructor. “As a former apprentice myself, I know how integral the apprenticeship program is to the shipbuilding industry,” he said.
Butch Wilkerson, who will serve as the Ship Fitting Instructor and Lead Mentor, brings over 35 years of experience in the shipbuilding industry. He will be responsible for teaching apprentices the fundamentals of ship fitting and providing hands-on guidance while they work in the yard.
“The hands-on experience really makes a difference to the students,” said Wilkerson. “Although they’ll be training as shipfitters, they’ll get to experience a little bit of everything shipbuilding has to offer, and graduate as a well-rounded craftsperson.”
According to the instructors, the program serves as a way to teach the apprentices a certain way to build ships. “Whether you’re a welder or a shipfitter, everyone has a different way to build a ship – we want to teach the students the Birdon way to build ships.”
Instructors are currently preparing for the next phase as applications continue to come in. So far, 140 applications have been received and are actively being reviewed and evaluated. The down-selection and interview process is set to begin next week, with final selections expected to be made by the end of August.
Applications for the Birdon Futures Apprenticeship Program will close on 17th July. For more information about the Birdon Apprenticeship Program or to apply online, please contact Mark Scott (mark.scott@birdon.us) or click here.