HII's paid shipbuilding apprenticeship on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, founded in 1952, with more than 4,000 graduates and over 750 current students. Eighteen trades are offered - shipfitter, welder, electrician, inside machinist, pipefitter, joiner, rigger, painter, pipe insulator, carpenter, quality inspector and others - running three to four years; most are 6,000 hours, while electrician, maintenance electrician and quality inspector run 8,000. Apprentices earn competitive wages with benefits starting thirty days in, attend class one day a week for four and a half hours at the Haley Reeves Barbour Maritime Training Academy in Pascagoula, and are promoted to journeyman on completion. Completed apprenticeships can carry credit toward an associate of applied science in maritime technology at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.