Thursday, November 9, 2017

Portsmouth Native receives outstanding apprentice award as honor graduate for Navy apprentice program

by Rick Burke, Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs

(PORTSMOUTH, Va.) - A 1997 Western Branch High School graduate and Portsmouth, Virginia native, recently received the outstanding apprentice award from the Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Apprentice Program.
 
Mr. David Franklin (right), one of 103 honor graduates from the NNSY Apprentice Program, was presented the award by the National Association of Superintendent at Willet Hall in Portsmouth, Virginia.

NNSY congratulated 180 graduates from its program. The graduates, represent 25 trades across the shipyard, and successfully completed a four-year training program, which includes academics, trade theory and on-the-job experience. Upon graduation, the apprentices received a Technician Career Studies Certificate and were converted to the journeymen level of their trade.  

Franklin said receiving this award as an early graduate, is his proudest accomplishment.

"My proudest accomplishment is graduating five months early from the apprenticeship program and achieving salutatorian of my class,” he said.  

"I always set short term goals for myself. These were the three goals I set for myself during my apprenticeship. Through hard work and perseverance I achieved all three of these goals," he added.  

At NNSY Franklin, who has currently worked for the DOD for four years, is the Temporary Services Supervisor. He is responsible for providing oversight of routing, installing, maintaining and removing nuclear and non-nuclear temporary services.

Franklin has carried lessons learned from his hometown working for the Department of Defense.

"In my hometown, I ran my own company for 11 years and this opened my eyes to being a productive employee," said Franklin. "My goal is to run my career at NNSY as the employee I always wanted to be."

Franklin is honored to have family members who previously served with the DOD and the military.

"My great grandfather, grandfather and father all worked at NNSY," he said. "My great grandfather previously worked here for seven years. My grandfather served in the Navy and became superintendent for the diving department. My father later carried on that tradition, working as superintendent for the same department. Additionally, my aunt currently works at NNSY as an engineer tech superintendent in the lifting and handling department."

Working with the DOD, has provided Franklin with opportunities that continue to develop essential traits needed for success both professionally and personally.


"It gives me a very structured place to work,” said Franklin. “It helps me budget my finances and family. I can see a ladder to climb that really pushes me to be my best. I have met people, both civilians and enlisted, that I have developed relationships with and now consider them family."