At Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), one of the resounding phrases heard round the workforce is to strive for excellence.

For Code 990 Training Coordinator Jeris Smith, that mentality should be seen not only on the job, but also in the classroom.

"As a training coordinator, one of my jobs is to ensure that our no-show rate is low, and our people do well in school," said Smith. "In the past, we have seen trends of the students being passive or satisfied with just passing. I find that mediocre. If we're operating in the spirit of excellence, we have to strive to do better. We can't just do the bare minimum."

Smith began to build an initiative he hoped would spark that motivation in the students for Code 990, as well as develop a reward incentive for a job well done.

"I feel like as a shipyard we don't spend enough time celebrating the great work our people do, especially those doing exceptionally well," said Smith. "If you're going above and beyond, I want you to feel that your efforts are appreciated and that you are important. I began the '95 or Better' program to push the envelope and challenge our employees to go above and beyond and reward them for that effort."

The program is a new initiative where Smith chooses two classes at random within the year to reward for their efforts.

"It's a competitive drive I instill in these students," he said. "Each student knows that there's a possibility for a reward if they receive a 95 or better in their training classes that year. It's not a small feat to score high in these classes, especially with the amount of material they have to cover. So when they work hard and claim those scores, it truly shows they have the drive for success, and I want them to know how proud I am of them."

Smith chose the Nuclear Qualification Control (NQC) Course held in late February/early March as his first group, which hosted 11 students from his code.

"Entering in the class, we had a very charismatic instructor who was able to motivate us to get everything right," said Jasmine White, a first year fabric worker apprentice. "We as students challenged each other in the class and made it our own friendly competition to see who could get the best score. I honestly didn't believe there would be a physical reward at the end of everything. I wanted to push myself to succeed, and so did my classmates."

"I personally always try to be the best I can be, and so having the engagement of my classmates as well as the engagement of my training coordinator showed me we were getting acknowledged for the work we were doing; and if you needed help someone would be there every step of the way to lend a hand or be there cheering for you along the way," said Sherri Barber, a first year fabric worker apprentice.

Smith stayed connected with the students during their training, gauging their status with excitement.

"The class was three-and-a-half days and I would check in with everyone," said Smith. "One of the students would stop me and ask what we would have for them for getting 95 or better. When I asked if that's what they were aiming for in the class, they told me that they were going to get the top score and excel beyond the expectations. They wanted to be the best they could be. That was big for me to hear, and I knew this class was going to go the distance."

NQC Instructor Jeron Smith added, "My class is fast-paced, and I'm drilling the students on a lot of rules and regulations so that when they leave my class and head out to the job, they have an understanding of the process and have the tools to succeed. My focus is to decrease the room for error and increase the room for growth. With Jeris and the students coming out of his code, I can see the dedication and the drive. He would call me to find out their grades and if there was anything he could do to help them. And the students themselves were heavily engaged in the class. You could see that competitive spirit in how they approached the lessons and the testing. Their class was certainly something special and had the passion to do well for them."

Out of those 11 students, six scored 95 or better, with the rest scoring in the low 90s and high 80s. Among them, White scored a 97.2 and Barber scored a 98.6.

Smith worked with management and was able to grant eight hours time off for those who received a perfect score and four hours time off for those who scored 95 or better. In addition, he also threw the six students a pizza party to celebrate their accomplishments.

"When we were called to meet that day, I had absolutely no idea what it was about," said White. "Then we saw who was brought together and we began to connect the dots. It was a very rewarding experience to see our hard work paid off."

During the party, Capt. Maria Silsdorf praised the students on their efforts and the program as a whole.

"What I think is so cool about you all is that you care about going above and beyond not just for an incentive, but to be their personal best," she said. "You don't want to simply meet the minimal standard. You want to supersede the standard. I'm proud to see your accomplishments, and thank you to the management team as well for taking notice of the drive that the future of our workforce has for excellence."

Smith added, "These are first-years making their mark in the shipyard, some seasoned and some fresh out of school. There's a wide range of knowledge amongst these students and they all did exceptionally well. They are proof that no learning barriers can stand in our way as long as we train hard and help each other make it to the finish line. I love my people, and I want this sort of program to expand all across the shipyard to show just how much we care about our workforce."

"Thank you to Mr. Smith for taking the steps to initiate this program for us and helping us push ourselves to be the best," Barber said. "The passion of this program shows that no one will get left behind, we're getting acknowledged for everything we do, and there's always someone there to lend a hand."

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