Apprenticeship FAQs

One of the greatest assets that our Nation has is the skills and know-how of its people. It is imperative that we guard this asset carefully. Our future progress and strength depend upon a conscious concern for human resources, training and skills.

A Construction apprentice is a person who prepares to become a skilled craftsman through planned, supervised work on the job, plus related classroom instruction. The apprentice, when working on the job, is a regular part of the work force who earns wages while acquiring an important skill.

The Construction apprenticeship training period of skilled occupations ranges from two to five years. Apprentices are taught the proper use, care and safe handling of the tools and equipment used in connection with their work. Classroom work is required in subjects related to the trade as a complement to on-the-job training.

Classes are usually held one or two evenings per week and/or on weekends. One hundred and forty-four hours of related instruction are required each year. Classes are taught by competent instructors with many years of practical experience in the craft.

The apprentice earns while he learns. The more he learns the more he earns. Apprentices are paid a percentage of a journeyman’s wage to start. As he climbs the ladder to journeyman status, the wages are increased at regular intervals. At the end of his term of apprenticeship, he becomes a journeyman and draws full pay for his skill.

The apprentice, at no cost to himself, learns skills and acquires experience he can use the rest of his life. Training gained through apprenticeship has enabled many journeymen to advance to higher paying jobs.

Apprentices of today are the foremen, superintendents and contractors of tomorrow. The ambitious person needn’t stop advancing once he becomes a skilled craftsman. Supervisory positions become available as the journeyman improves his skills, knowledge and ability to direct and guide other craftsmen.

Training in the skilled construction trades is good insurance. In addition to opportunities for promotion and steady employment, it gives you something that no one can ever take away from you – the knowledge that your economic security is determined by your own talents which results in a life long increased earning capacity enabling you to get and keep a well-paying job anywhere in the Country.

Each craft has a Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, which consists of an equal number of labor and management representatives who conduct, monitor and are responsible for the affairs of the entire apprenticeship program.

For information on eligibility and how to apply for an Apprenticeship, click the link below or contact Project BEST at (304)214-9800 or (740)282-3616.