When Celia Brooks started her IBEW apprenticeship two years ago, she wasn't expecting to do complex electrical work on a 400-foot-long Coast Guard icebreaker before she topped out of her program. But last month, she helped put the finishing touches on upgrades to the electrical system onboard the Polar Sea, one of the military's largest vessels.

"I never thought I'd be doing something this cool this soon in my training," said Brooks, 22, who has worked at the Todd Shipyard in Seattle for six months. "It's been an awesome experience so far."

That pleases IBEW leaders at Seattle Local 46. Since 2005, the local has worked with the state government to employ greater apprentice utilization on prevailing wage marine projects. Washington law now mandates that a certain percentage of workers on maritime projects are apprentices—allowing budding electricians to accelerate their skills as they move into high-demand, high-wage careers.

Apprentices like Brooks are getting on-the-job training and better wages than they would on the nonunion side. And the state's shipbuilding industry —facing a critical shortage of skilled labor as an aging work force faces retirement—is getting the jolt it needs to stay viable. Before the law came into effect, Washington had 8,000 apprentices in the work force. Today, that figure has more than doubled.

"Getting apprentices into the field is going to save our shipyards," Local 46 Business Representative Brett Olson said. "People like Celia are the next generation of skilled trade unionists keeping our industry strong."

Success with using apprentices at the state level has prompted Washington IBEW leaders to ramp up their efforts and take the proposal national. Olson has spent the last year and a half pitching the concept to aides of key lawmakers on Capitol Hill. "We've seen apprenticeship utilization work in our state, and we know it can work across the country,"" Olson said. He hopes to spur passage of legislation that will help bring a fresh crop of workers into the maritime sector who can learn on the job from journeymen with decades in the trade. "The industry is in a crisis. We're on the politicians' doorsteps hoping that they'll make the right decision and help the yards."

In the late 1970s, the shipyard industry saw a boom in its work force. On the West Coast, employment swelled to an all-time high of 75,000 employees —a third of whom worked in Washington's Puget Sound area building naval vessels.

Things began changing in the late '80s when the Navy started decommissioning ships and technological advances made it possible for one ship to do the work of many. In 1987, the Navy had nearly 600 ships in the water. Today, numbers have dwindled to less than half of that. Such a decline in production has left the shipyard work force at less than 5 percent of what it was three decades ago. The average age for a shipyard employee is now 53, and workers are retiring in droves.

"It's not just a jobs issue," Olson said. "It's a national security issue." With China and Russia building up their fleets at record speed, lawmakers are once again fighting for a strong sea presence. The House Armed Services Committee—chaired by Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.)—is trying to help the Navy build up its vessel count to 313 ships by 2024. To do this while replacing ships that are being decommissioned, 12 new boats must roll off the production lines every year.

"If we can get an agreement that puts apprentices to work increasing the Navy's fleet, thousands and thousands of jobs will be created and we can help maintain our naval presence," Olson said.

One way to help do this is by recruiting men and women who have recently finished terms of military service and are looking to get into the work force. Touting a new program called Veterans in Construction Electrical—or VICE—Olson hopes to help servicemen and women apply their skills to a union job in the marine sector. The initiative is akin to the Helmets to Hardhats program, which recruits former military members into the construction trades. "After Vietnam, vets came back and they didn't have jobs," he said. "We can help change that."

The program has been a boon to Local 46 apprentice Ken McMillan. He spent seven years in the Marines and Army and joined the IBEW in 2006. State laws encouraging the use of apprentices have opened doors for McMillan. The MD Marine Electric employee is currently working on wiring a ship that rescues crews and vehicles that get stranded at sea.

"People with experience in the Navy, Coast Guard and other branches often have a lot of skills that can transfer into the trade," McMillan said. "Career wise, it's a no-brainer, and we're helping increase the readiness of the ships in our fleet."

Local 46 leaders are looking to Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) to introduce legislation in the new congressional session to use more apprentice labor on marine projects. "I look forward to speaking on the Hill about this, and I''m optimistic that things are going to go well," Olson said.