2017 VAAA Golf Tournament information will be announced soon!!! 

Brookman  Selected as Honoree for VAAA 14th Annual Golf Tournament

Dan Brookman moved from Narrows Virginia to serve an apprenticeship as an inside machinist at The Apprentice School at Newport News Shipbuilding. He advanced his career and spent the majority of his career working for The Apprentice School as manager of craft training.  He has served on other boards such as Virginia Apprenticeship Council, and various officer positions in America Apprentice Round Table.

75th Anniversary of Registered Apprenticeship

The Virginia Apprenticeship Council recognized the 75th Anniversary of Registered Apprenticeship in Virginia on Thursday, November 21, 2013, at its regular Council meeting. Following the meeting, the VAAA sponsored a special luncheon to commemorate the occasion. Dr. Jim Hughes, Treasurer, ASSA gave the following remarks on the history of our organization.

The Virginia Apprenticeship Alumni Association was incorporated in December 2003 with the purpose of promoting registered apprenticeship in Virginia through education, fund-raising, and scholarship opportunities. The association's goal is to be a positive force in promoting apprenticeship and a positive voice in telling others about the value of the apprenticeship system in supporting an individual's growth and development, a business organization's growth and profitability, and the Commonwealth's economic growth and workforce development.

The association was the brain-child of Ray Davenport, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry. He pulled together program sponsors from various areas of the Commonwealth and asked them to join together to form the association, recognizing that a large body of apprentice graduates and friends of apprenticeship existed in Virginia. They could be a positive force for promoting apprenticeship.

The association was organized in accordance with Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and received recognition as a tax-exempt organization.

First officers of the association were Dudley Harris, president; Ray Louth, vice president; Merry Beth Hall, secretary; and Allan Melton, treasurer. Additional directors were: Bob Baumgardner, Ray Davenport, Barbara Hancock-Henley, Barry Baker, Donna Barnes, Jim Hughes and Jim Walker. In the spring of 2004, the association launched its first membership drive, including charter and regular memberships in four categories: active member, corporate member, associate member, and student member. There were 44 charter members, including state and local unions, companies, state agencies, and individuals.

In addition to annual membership dues, the major fund-raising activity for the association has been an annual golf tournament. This year, the association held its 10th annual golf tournament at the Hollows Golf Club in Montpelier, Virginia. Gary Duff, training director with the Richmond Electricians' JATC, and secretary of the VAAA, has been the driving force and coordinator for this event. Beginning in 2007, in conjunction with the golf tournament, the association has recognized a leader in the apprenticeship program in Virginia. These honorees have included:

2007 Raymon Roberts, past Chairman, Virginia Apprenticeship Council

2008 Jim Hughes, past Chairman, Virginia Apprenticeship Council

2009 Dany LeBlanc, former Senior Advisor for Workforce, Governor's Office

2010 Jim Walker, former State Director for Virginia, U. S. Office of Apprenticeship

2011 Ray Davenport, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry

2012 Gary Duff, Training Director, Richmond Electricians' JATC

2013 Ray Louth, former two-time Virginia Apprenticeship Council member\

2014 Dudley Harris, 

2015 Danny Hunley, VP of Operations at Newport News Shipbuilding

2016 Beverly Donati, Division Director DOLI

The association has supported the apprenticeship program in Virginia, the Department of Labor and Industry, and the Virginia Apprenticeship Council. The association has purchased plaques for the Outstanding Apprentices each year they have been selected by the Virginia Apprenticeship Council. The associated has provided financial support for the Action Summit Clinics in 2011, the Apprentice Expo in Norfolk in 2012, and last year's recognition luncheon for the anniversary of the Fitzgerald Act.

The scholarship program has been a major activity for the association. Since 2009, annual scholarships have been awarded to active and student members who have continued their education and training beyond apprenticeship. These funds have supported apprentice graduates to complete specialized training in their trades or academic degree programs, including mechanical engineering degree programs at Old Dominion University, a naval architecture and marine engineering degree at the prestigious Webb Institute in New York, and specialized cosmetology training for a graduate apprentice who now has her own shop and her own apprenticeship program, to give you some examples. In 2011, the association opened its scholarship program to career and technical education instructors in Virginia, recognizing the important relationship between these programs as feeders into the apprenticeship system. Each year now, two $1,000 scholarship awards go to active/student members and two $1,000 award goes to a career and technical education instructor. To date, the association has awarded $21,000 in scholarship funds.

SkillsUSA support has been a recent addition to distributing our funds.  At these events we set up tables to inform contestants and their parents about registered apprenticeships. 

Thank you for this opportunity to share with you the history and work of the association.