Building Trades Craft Unions Offer Apprenticeship Programs

Building Trades Apprenticeships prepare women and men for careers in construction by integrating on-the-job training with classroom instruction. Apprenticeships also combine paid employment in actual construction with classroom study and homework. Graduates of Apprenticeship programs are certified as Journeylevel workers, and can work from union hiring halls anywhere in the United States.

Apprentices start at only a portion of journeylevel pay, but advance in pay as they fulfill requirements approved by the State of California. Work and classroom hours required to achieve journeylevel status for the various Building Trades are listed on the web pages of the individual unions. Apprenticeships generally require applicants to be at least 18 years of age, have a valid driver’s license, and be a high school graduate or GED.

The federal government, in cooperation with the states, registers apprenticeship programs that meet federal and state standards. The best programs—which provide multiple industries with highly skilled workers who earn family-sustaining wages—are registered with government agencies, operated by sponsors representing labor and management organizations and funded through collectively bargained contributions to tax-exempt trust funds.

“Effective training is the cornerstone of successful building and construction careers. By offering training and apprenticeship programs, building trades unions help shape the futures of America’s workers. The 100th Anniversary of Registered Apprenticeships, celebrated in 2011, marks a century of U.S. building and construction trades unions delivering high-quality training, recognized at the federal, state and local levels. By working with unions through training and apprenticeship programs, employers recognize the excellence achieved through the collective bargaining process, in which both sides negotiate contracts, which pay good wages, deliver health and retirement security and assist workers in building careers they take pride in.”
– AFL-CIO

Building and Construction Trades Apprenticeship Programs Include:

Painters and Allied Trades Finishing Trades Institute
Ironworkers
Heat and Frost Insulators
Carpenters
Boilermakers National Joint Apprenticeship Program
Electrical Workers/National Electrical Contractors Association National Joint Apprenticeship Council
Laborers
Bricklayers Masonry Institute
Elevator Constructors National Elevator Industry Educational Program
Plasterers and Cement Masons
The Sheet Metal Workers International Training Institute
Cement Masons
Plumbers and Pipe Fitters
Sprinklerfitters
United Union of Roofers and Waterproofers
Operating Engineers

Cal Apprenticeships
http://www.calapprenticeship.org/

Registered Apprenticeships – AFL-CIO
http://www.aflcio.org/Learn-About-Unions/Training-and-Apprenticeships/Registered-Apprenticeships