Apprenticeships: Career training, credentials—and a ...

1 2 Occupational Outlook Quarterly Summer 2002 Career training, credentials and a paycheck in your pocketby Olivia CrosbyOlivia Crosby is a contributing editor to the OOQ, (202) learn new things every day, says Elizabeth Cummings,who is training as an electrician apprentice. I get to use myhands and my mind. I m practically guaranteed a greatcareer in a few years a job that I know I ll like and that paysvery well. In fact, Cummings earns full-time pay while she learns. It sbetter than any scholarship, she says. Cummings is describinga few of the benefits of apprenticeship. She was looking for afree education in a highly skilled field. Like thousands ofothers, she found what she wanted in are available for more than 850occupations. Construction and manufacturing apprenticeshipsare most common, but apprenticeships are available for all sortsof occupations. Possibilities range from telecommunications,environmental protection, and pastry making to healthcare,childcare, and the do all of these programs have in common?

2 Theycombine structured on-the-job training with classroominstruction. Current programs vary in length from 1 to 6 that time, apprentices work and learn asemployees. And when they complete a registered program,apprentices receive a nationally recognized certificate from department of labor proof of their also can be combined with other kinds oftraining. Classroom instruction often counts toward licenses,certifications, and college for all its advantages, apprenticeship takes time andeffort. So before deciding if apprenticeship is right for you,keep reading to learn more about what apprenticeship is andhow to find, choose, and qualify for a : The basicsApprenticeship is Career preparation. It mixes learning on thejob with learning in class. A child development apprentice, forexample, might spend the day as an assistant teacher, helping tosupervise children, lead activities, and make arts and craftsmaterials. That evening, in class, the apprentice might learnsafety procedures and theories of child formal apprenticeships are registered with the of labor .

3 This registration means the programmeets Government standards of fairness, safety, and of registered programs are called journey workers. Occupational Outlook Quarterly Summer 2002 3 They receive certificates ofcompletion from the of labor or anapproved State agency. Thesecertificates are accepted by associations, employers, oremployer groups manage apprenticeshipprograms. As program sponsors, they chooseapprentices, develop training standards, and paywages and other apprentices are accepted into registeredprograms, the sponsors and the apprentices signan agreement. The agreement explains thespecifics of the apprenticeship program: the skillsapprentices will learn on the job, the relatedinstruction they will receive, the wages they willearn, and the time the program will take. Insigning an agreement, the sponsors promise totrain the apprentices and make every effort tokeep them employed. The apprentices promiseto perform their jobs and complete training.

4 Registered apprenticeshiptraining is more formal than most other types ofon-the-job training. Apprentices follow astructured plan. They practice every major element of variety is an advantage in the job market. I llend up more well rounded, says Richard Marshall, amachinist apprentice in Wytheville, Virginia. I ll havemore steady work because I can do more things. Andbecause employers develop the training plans, trainingkeeps up with the needs of the start by learning simple, repetitive tasks andthen gradually progress to complex duties. Electricianapprentices, for example, might begin by learning to cutwire and install it in walls. Eventually, they will planprojects; set up, wire, and test entire construction sites;and diagnose and fix electrical guidance speeds the learning process. In thebeginning, apprentices are closely supervised by ajourney worker. You learn all the tricks of thetrade, says Chris Wilcox, a carpenterapprentice in Newark, Connecticut.

5 Theywork with you and showyou how to do it. But soon,apprentices gainindependence. A journeyworker stays nearby to answer questionsand demonstrate new instruction. In addition tolearning by doing, apprentices takeclasses to learn the basics. A first classmight teach the names and uses of theequipment a student will see on ajobsite. Later, students learntechniques, such as drafting, costestimating, or reading blueprints any procedure the worker mustknow to perform the also learn thetheories underlying the workthey do. For metal workers, thismeans learning trigonometry,measurement, and appliedphysics. For cooks, itincludes learning aboutnutrition and the economics of restaurant management. Forscience technicians, chemistry or physics is see their academics pay off in the job they Occupational Outlook Quarterly Summer 2002 At work, I notice the children behaving just the way westudied in class, says Norma Grey, a child developmentapprentice in Huntington, West Virginia.

6 Understanding thesebehaviors helps her work with the children more instruction comes in a variety of formats. Manyapprentices attend a vocational school or community college oneor two evenings a week after work. Others go to school full timefor a few weeks each year. Still others take classes over theInternet or through the mail. Wherever and whenever they study,most apprentices need at least 144 hours of instruction per As employees, apprentices earn wages for the workthey do. Unless they are part of a prison rehabilitation program,apprentices must make at least minimum wage to start, but theyusually earn more. Beginning apprentices often earn about halfof what fully trained workers do. They receive raisesperiodically usually, every few months. Workers are morevaluable as they learn more skills, so we pay them more, explains Tom Gibbs, a former heating and air conditioningapprentice who now hires apprentices for his heating and airconditioning business in Ames, commitment.

7 Learning a skilled occupationtakes time. How much time depends on theoccupation. All apprenticeship programs requireat least 2,000 hours of work experience. Sometake up to 12,000. These hours translate intoabout 2 to 6 years. Most programs requireabout 4 years or 8,000 hours on the table beginning on page 16shows the approximate number ofyears required to train for eachapprenticeable occupation. But thetimes listed are estimates. People canreduce the years required by workingmore hours per week. Or, they can getcredit for education and experience theyalready have. Marshall is benefiting fromthis flexibility. His experience in a priorjob and the classes he s taken at acommunity college will shave hundreds ofhours from his employers programs focus on skillsmore than on time at work. In these programs,apprentices still need work experience, but theyhave to pass skills tests to progress. Skills-basedprograms take roughly the same amount of timeto finish as other programs do.

8 Many people keep training long after theirapprenticeship ends. Reaching journey workerstatus opens the door to advanced instruction. Cummings, forexample, hopes to take master classes in solar energy systemsafter receiving her certificate of occupations: 858 and countingAny occupation can be registered as apprenticeable if it meetsfour criteria: It is clearly defined; It is customarily learned on the job; It requires manual, mechanical, or technical skill; and It requires at least 2,000 hours of work experience and,usually, at least 144 hours of related , 858 occupations meet these standards. The mostcommon are listed in the box on the facing page. But the of labor adds more occupations as employerspropose and register them. Internetworking technician, youthdevelopment practitioner, and plastic molds designer are somerecent additions. Several computer occupationsare under number of apprenticeableoccupations may seem overwhelming, butnot every occupation is available at agiven time.

9 Programs open and closedepending on the number of newworkers needed in an , 518 occupations haveapprentices working in number of occupationsavailable for apprenticeshipvaries from one State toanother. But in mostStates, there are hundredsof occupations to chooseamong. Apprenticeableoccupations can becategorized as follows:Arts. Theater arts, includingstage technicians and actors,fall into this relatively smallgroup, as do designers and artsand crafts and administrativesupport. Office managers,paralegals, and medicalsecretaries are some of theoccupations in this These are themost commonly availableOccupational Outlook Quarterly Summer 2002 5apprenticeships. Most employers of construction workers considerapprenticeships the best training for these jobs. Workers in thisgroup include plumbers, electricians, and terrazzo workers. Many,such as residential carpenters and acoustical carpenters whoinstall panels and materials that absorb or affect sound useconsiderable math skills.

10 Some, such as reinforcing metalworkers, need strength and , maintenance, and repair, includingtelecommunications technicians and power plant as service technicians, engine mechanics, or bodyrepairers, some apprentices learn to fix cars and also learn to maintain electronics, musicalinstruments, and power plant machinery. Also in this group areapprentices who install equipment. Millwrights, who installindustrial machinery, are an example. Workers who install andmaintain communication and sound equipment such ascommunications and telecommunications technicians and lineinstallers also are Production occupations employ the second mostcommonly available group of apprenticeships. Again, manyproduction employers consider apprenticeship the best way tolearn these jobs. Metal workers in this category include tool anddie makers and machinists, who create specialized parts out ofmetal and other materials. Apprentices in precision assemblyoccupations include those who construct circuit boards andelectrical appliances.