Sisterhood Spotlight

What led you to become Director of Education at The Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding?

My journey to becoming a college president was intercepted in 2017 by a headhunter searching for the next Executive Director of the Apprentice School. The Apprentice School was never on my radar. As a matter of fact, I had never heard of it. After speaking with the headhunter and learning more about the school, the idea of leading an institution where I could use my chemical manufacturing and higher education backgrounds felt like a great fit.

What would you like readers to know about The Apprentice School?

The Apprentice School is considered to be the Leadership Factory for the Newport News Shipbuilding production workforce. The Apprentice School has a five-year enrollment average of 775 apprentices across 19 trades. We offer eight advanced programs, including an electrical and mechanical engineering degree that’s awarded through a partnership with Old Dominion University. The Apprentice School proudly boasts six Division 3 athletic teams. In 2020, the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia and the 2021 Council on Occupational Education, approved the school as a degree granting institution. The NNS Apprentice School is one of only a select few apprenticeship programs in the country that is certified to award associate degrees. The faculty and staff are proud of the school’s accomplishments and they truly care about the success of all students.

What is a challenge and an opportunity you’re seeing for women in your field?

Manufacturing is still, very much, male dominated so organizations must have policies and benefits centered on healthcare and childcare to better attract women and their skillset to the workforce.

As for the opportunity that manufacturing offers most women, it’s the ability to earn higher pay. Manufacturing tends to offer above-average pay and worthwhile benefits. Two things that most woman place a high priority on having when it comes to taking care of our families.

How has your STEM education influenced you, and how does it impact your current work?

Thanks to the National Institute of Health and National Science Foundation, I was fortunate to Earn-and-Learn throughout my undergraduate and graduate studies. I was paid to do undergraduate research in biochemistry and I was fortunate to intern at a large chemical company during summers which gave me valuable work experience. Thanks to those opportunities, I was able to graduate without any college debt. These experiences gave me the mindset to “pay it forward”, so I created STEM programs for community college students that helped pay their tuition, books, and fees. Those programs also employed them as tutors while partnering with organizations to provide summer internships. Another benefit that came from those programs was assisting them with getting transfer scholarships to four-year colleges and universities.

I love being able to work with people that love math and science just as much as I do, so being the Director of the Apprentice School allows me to combine my love for STEM and higher education to do research and problem solve on a daily basis. It’s exciting!

What would you like to say to other women and girls in the Commonwealth pursuing technical trades or careers?

I’d tell them to rethink your opinion about a career in manufacturing. They aren’t the dangerous professions they use to be. Technical trades have changed from stereotypical dirty jobs into cleaner, high skill, high wage jobs. Women make up 47% of the workforce, but only 30% in manufacturing. There are more opportunities now than ever for women with technical skills because manufacturers realize the importance of growing their workforce, so they have been intentional in eliminating barriers for women. Organizations are embracing diversity of thought and skills that women bring to the workplace. They are able to walk straight out of high school into high wage jobs while positioning themselves for advancement.

What are the highest growth fields?

Healthcare and IT continues to be the fastest growing occupations but both are experiencing workforce shortages. Women make up 76% of the healthcare workforce and 77% of frontline workers with most longtime care workers being mostly women. Post pandemic, there is a shortage of healthcare workers and a need to grow that workforce pipeline. Although women make up the majority of the healthcare sector, they hold less than 30% of leadership roles and about 15% are CEOs. There are opportunities in the healthcare leadership ranks for women. IT is the second highest growing industry, but only 24% of computing jobs are held by women, and 19% of STEM graduates are women. Women are still underrepresented in the Tech sector, so it is important to expose girls to the world of computer science early in their educational journey.

What is a piece of advice you’d share with women and girls in the Commonwealth about pursuing and maintaining their work lives?

You can have both a career and a family, but it starts with self-care and a love for yourself. Know when it’s time to press pause and take a moment to relax and do things that motivate and excite you. Establish a good support system at home and within your organization. Having a mentor that can help you navigate your work culture and give you strategy for upward mobility is important. Exercise and make healthy choices to help manage your stress levels while being intentional about maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

About Latitia D. McCane

Latitia D. McCane is director of Education for The Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, located in Newport News, Va. Named to this position in 2018, McCane is responsible for overall leadership, vision and strategic direction of craft training, academic delivery, student services, accreditation and recruitment for a student body of 800 in addition to staff and faculty. The school, founded in 1919, has produced more than 10,000 graduates with four-to-eight-year apprentice program certificates.

Since 2007 and prior to her current appointment at The Apprentice School, McCane held several leadership positions at Bishop State Community College, a two-year public institution with an enrollment of 3,400 students in Mobile, Al. She most recently served as dean on instructional services and was responsible for all academic programs across its four campuses. McCane also served as associate dean of instruction at Jefferson Davis Community College in Brewton, Al.

McCane earned doctoral degrees in urban higher education administration and education administration from Jackson State University and Lacrosse University. She holds graduate and undergraduate degrees in organic chemistry and chemistry from the University of Alabama and Texas Southern University. McCane is a member of the CIVIC Leadership Institute’s Class of 2019 in Norfolk, Va. She is active in the community and serves on the board of directors for the Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and New Horizons Foundation.

About Newport News Shipbuilding:

Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of HII, is the nation’s sole designer, builder and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of only two shipyards capable of designing and building nuclear- powered submarines. NNS also provides fleet services for naval ships. The shipyard’s vast facilities span more than 550 acres along two miles of waterfront on the historic James River. NNS is the largest industrial employer in Virginia, employing more than 25,000 people, many of whom are third- and fourth-generation shipbuilders. For more information, please visit www.HII.com.