Apprenticeship: Pathways to Success One of the first questions everyone asks when they consider a career as a tradesperson is Can I Make A Good Living?  The answer is a resounding Yes. You can make a very good living in all of the trades.   More importantly, you get paid while you are in training.  Depending on the career path you choose your apprenticeship training will take from 3 to 5 years of on-the-job training and classroom instruction.   While in training, your starting union wage may range from $9 to $14 per hour.  Once you have completed your training you can earn $30 per hour or more depending on the trade.  The pay scale will depend on your specific trade, the area where you work and the collective barganing agreement in your area that would include health and pension benefits. Background Apprenticeship is a work force training concept, which is designed to prepare an individual, generally a high school graduate, for occupations in the skilled trades and crafts. Currently, there are more than 800 apprenticeship occupations in the United States. An apprentice is an individual who develops marketable job skills in a structured training program. Being of legal working age, he or she should possess the aptitude, physical condition and desire to succeed in the specific craft/trade. Apprenticeship is similar to college in that it may take one year or as many as seven years to complete a program depending on which trade is chosen. Most apprenticeship programs are three to five years in length, similar to a four-year bachelor’s degree program. There are, however, several differences between college and an apprentice: An apprentice is an employee who receives an hourly wage and other benefits while learning a craft/trade. The vast majority of training occurs on-the-job, and is supplemented by classroom instruction. The apprentice works side-by-side with and experienced craftsperson or "journeyperson." Employers (management) and Workers (labor) join together to design the length and structure of apprentice training in the particular trade. The apprenticeship system has existed almost from the dawn of recorded history. It has withstood the test of time as a way to effectively train workers in a skilled trade. Other systems of training have been tried over the years, but none have been as successful as the system of apprenticeship that exists today. The apprentice learns by "hands on application" and by practicing his/her trade under the direction and instruction of a journeyperson. On-the-Job Training (OJT) coupled with related training in the classroom, produces a qualified journeyperson that has no equal. Joint Apprenticeship Committee Apprenticeship arrangements at the local level are handled by local Joint Apprenticeship Committees (JAC or Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committees (JATC) which are composed of equal numbers of employer and employee representatives. Normally, apprentices are registered with the local JAC or JATC that has jurisdiction in the geographic area which they receive On-The Job Training (OJT) and in the school district where they complete related classroom instruction. The local JAC or JATC operates its apprenticeship program under authority granted to it by participating employer and employee organizations. This authority is established in a written agreement called an Apprenticeship Labor Standards Agreement, usually referred to simply as the "Apprenticeship Standards" for the program. The Apprenticeship Standards are adopted by the JAC or JATC and approved by the DAS. These standards contain rules and regulations for conducting the apprenticeship program and detail the duties and responsibilities of the local JAC or JATC. In conformance with the Apprenticeship Standards, the JAC or JATC selects and indentures apprentices, supervise on-the-job (OJT) training and assists and advises the school in the related instruction program. The committee also keeps records of each apprentice’s progress, enforces discipline as required (this may include canceling an apprenticeship agreement for just cause), approves transfers and recommends issuance of certificate of completion when apprentices have earned them. Approval of the JAC or JATC is required before an apprentice can be advanced to next higher rate of pay and this depends on the apprentice’s work record and progress in related instruction.