Pre-apprentice and Apprenticeship Programs
All of our crafts have an entry point for a young or inexperienced worker: our apprenticeship programs.

Apprentices spend anywhere from two to four years learning the fine points of the trade. They master skills through instructor-led training at one of over 168 training centers across North America and through on-the-job experience--and the advice and leadership of journey-level workers.

We also have a "pre-apprentice" program. Skills training in our crafts is available to youth through the Job Corps program at over 50 sites in the United States. This training program, developed during the Johnson administration, gives young people job and life skills. To finish the program, they must complete their GED, get a drivers’ license and show a certain level of proficiency in their trade.

These programs, plus the job fairs and our outreach to high school students during career fairs, help to bring more young people into the crafts and turn out highly skilled workers who are prepared to come to work on time, work efficiently and follow a strong work ethic. We're helping to reduce the shortage of workers in the construction industry and help contractors find skilled workers in their crafts.