Registered apprenticeships are training programs in which participants get the opportunity to “earn while they learn,” with tuition costs covered by employers and labor-management organizations who gain access to a pool of skilled, productive, and safe workers. Apprenticeship programs support standardized curriculum, including OSHA safety training and tailored curriculum for each craft.
Participation in an apprenticeship program that is approved by and registered with the USDOL helps ensure workers receive the skills, training and experience necessary to produce the highest quality construction in a safe and efficient work environment. The USDOL’s Office of Apprenticeship requires program sponsors to submit written standards outlining the terms of apprenticeship employment, training and supervision and must include minimum hours of classroom and on-the-job training.
Union apprenticeship programs – sometimes called joint labor-management programs – are training programs entirely sponsored and funded through labor unions and employers who are signatories to collective bargaining agreements. Nonunion apprenticeship programs – sometimes called employer-only programs – are funded solely by construction employers.
Yes. At state-of-the-art training facilities, unions educate their apprentices with the skills and knowledge necessary to work safely, efficiently and produce high-quality craftsmanship. A union trained journeyman receives certified training and is kept up to date in the latest safety and technological developments throughout their career.
Yes. Union apprenticeship programs and their graduates tend to have better economic outcomes than graduates from nonunion programs. Union construction workers who graduated from a union apprenticeship program earn an average of $58,000 per year compared to $39,700 per year for nonunion construction workers. In addition, 89% of union construction workers have private health insurance coverage compared with just 55 percent of nonunion construction workers. Ultimately, union construction workers are competitive with workers with college degrees, while nonunion construction workers are only on par with workers with high school diplomas.
Yes. Labor unions invest millions of dollars each year in apprenticeship training programs to provide the highest-quality training for apprentices, ultimately raising construction standards across the industry. This is provided at NO cost to taxpayers. Instead, these programs help stimulate the economy, by creating jobs and increasing the tax base of construction workers.