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Northrop Grumman employees go back to school

September 2004 Pocket Calendar

Northrop Grumman employees go back to school
The Mississippi Press
By JOHN SURRATT

PASCAGOULA -- A group of Northrop Grumman Ship Systems employees are going to college for a specialized degree. And the campus will be almost next door.

An estimated 50 Ship Systems employees have enrolled through Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for courses in logistics technology, a new associate degree program established through a joint effort between the college and Ship Systems.

"I'm very confident that people will take advantage of this opportunity and really look at the program," Teno Henderson, Full Service Operations vice president, said during an orientation program on Monday afternoon (Aug. 23).

"It will certainly help people. It will help people who want to advance in Ship Systems, because to reach those higher levels in the company, you need a college degree. The benefits of a college education and earning a degree can open many opportunities."

More than 50 shipyard employees signed up for the new logistics program being offered by MGCCC and NG Ship Systems on Aug. 23.

The program's roots are tied in with changes in the way the U.S. Navy, Ship System's primary customer, is now doing business and a move toward designing ships to save money on maintenance and replacing parts.

Logistics, Henderson said, plays an important role in ship design. And under the Navy's new policy, it is even more important.

"Before, you designed and built the ship, and then logistics put in the spare parts and you sent it on its way," he said. "Now, logistics has to be designed in the ship on the front end, because you have to include the ship's life cycle when you design it."

That means determining the life of the ship's equipment and predicting the cost and time of parts replacement ahead of time.

Lynn Massengale, who proposed the education program, said the proposal was well received by company officials and has received a lot of attention from employees.

Massengale said two courses would be offered during the fall semester and would begin on Aug. 30. Ship Systems employees would teach the courses "Introduction to Logistics" and "Supply Chain Management." Other courses would follow later.

MGCCC’s Charlie Neumann helps Barbara Liddell register for the college’s new logistics classes being offered at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems.

Paula Lachaite, a logistics section manager, is one of the employees who signed up for the program.

"Having a degree in logistics technology will help me," she said. "I see this as a great opportunity to get a college degree, and Northrop Grumman has been very supportive of us, and it's great to be able to have classes next to where you do the actual job."

"I went to college for two years but never graduated," she said. "But even if I had a college degree, I would get into this program."

Charlie Neumann, assistant dean of career and technical programs at MGCCC, designed the curriculum for the program.

"Northrop Grumman is paying for this," he said. "All the employees have to do is pay a $44 registration fee and a book fee. With the Ship Systems' DD(X), LPD and Deepwater programs coming on line, this program will be very helpful in providing the skills the employees will need.”

"Northrop Grumman has put its support behind this, and we're glad to be working with them."

Neumann said the school plans to present the logistics technology program to the public in the future.

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