- What is an apprentice?
- What is apprenticeship?
- What is an apprenticeship indenture?
- How does federal vocational legislation
define "apprenticeship training program"?
- Do the military services offer
apprenticeship programs?
- Is an employer required to accept
apprenticeship credit earned in the military or other
sources?
- Must apprenticeship programs register with
the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training?
- Must individual apprentices register with
the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training?
- Must public schools or postsecondary
institutions that offer apprenticeship-related training
be registered with the Bureau of Apprenticeship and
Training?
- Are apprentices employed?
- What rate of pay do apprentices receive?
- Who directly supervises apprentices working
on the job?
- What is related training?
- What are the subjects taught in related
training?
- Is related training required of an
apprenticeship?
- Must an apprentice complete the program of
related training?
- How long does related training last?
- How many hours of related training are
required per year?
- Where can related training be provided?
- Who determines related training curriculum?
- When does the apprentice attend related
training?
- Do apprentices get paid for attending
related training classes?
- What is the criteria for an occupation to
be apprenticeable?
- How many occupations are apprenticeable?
- What specific occupations are
apprenticeable?
- What are the educational requirements of
apprentices?
- Who pays for the apprentice program?
- What is a program sponsor?
- What are some of the responsibilities of a
program sponsor?
- What is the Bureau of Apprenticeship and
Training?
- What is the role of the U.S. Bureau of
Apprenticeship and Training in apprenticeship?
- How can vocational education assist the
apprenticeship system?
- What is a journeyperson?
- To be in an apprentice program, must the
apprentice be a member of a labor union?
- What percent of apprentices are not
members of (organized labor) unions?
- What is the average age of apprentices?
- What is a School-to-Apprenticeship
program?
- What is the purpose of a
School-to-Apprenticeship program?
- Does the Bureau of Apprenticeship and
Training provide journeyperson certification to
apprentices after completion of their apprenticeship?
- How many people participate nationally in
the apprenticeship program?
- Can apprentices earn college credit for
the apprenticeship experience?
- Why is apprenticeship important for the
apprentice?
- Why is apprenticeship important to the
program sponsor?
- How long do traditional apprenticeships
last?
- How long do performance-based
apprenticeships last?
- What is a State Apprenticeship Council
(SAC)?
- Are State Apprenticeship Councils required
by law?
- What occupations are generally accepted to
have the largest number of apprentices?
- What does the term "work
experience" mean in relation to apprenticeship
programs?
- Where do individuals interested in
becoming apprentices go to find out about such
opportunities?
50 QUESTIONS COMMONLY ASKED ABOUT APPRENTICESHIP
1. WHAT IS AN APPRENTICE?
A qualified person of legal working age who has entered into a
written agreement with an
employer under which the employer is to provide an opportunity
for the apprentice to learn
an apprenticeable occupation.
2. WHAT IS APPRENTICESHIP?
Apprenticeship is a unique, voluntary training system through
which individuals acquire
trade and craft skills and knowledge. Training combines daily
on-the-job instruction in
manipulative skills with periodic classroom (related) instruction
in technical subjects
related to work requirements. The training design provides for
learning all required
practical and theoretical skills and knowledge for the chosen
skilled occupation. Practical
aspects of work are mastered on the job as apprentices are
rotated through all phases of
their particular occupations. Theoretical aspects of work are
mastered during related
subjects instruction in the classroom. Related instruction
continues throughout the
apprenticeship term and provides an opportunity to consider, in
depth, the underlying
principles of job activities. This arrangement of on-the-job and
classroom instruction is
a standard part of typical apprenticeship indenturing agreements.
It ensures the
individual's employability and guarantees competent workers for
industry by providing
for learning the complete range of skills and knowledge during
training.
(See Question 13 - What is related training?)
3. WHAT
IS AN APPRENTICE INDENTURE?
A required written agreement or contract between apprentice
and program sponsor
concerning the terms of employment and training experiences of
the apprentice during
the learning period. The agreement sets forth expectations,
duties and obligations of
each party for the term of the apprenticeship. Among items
typically incorporated into
the agreement are the provision for related instruction, overtime
regulations, minimum
wage schedule for each period in the apprenticeship term, and
approximate time
schedule for training in different aspects of the occupation.
4. HOW
DOES FEDERAL VOCATIONAL LEGISLATION DEFINE "APPRENTICE-
SHIP TRAINING PROGRAM"?
"A program registered with the U. S. Department of Labor
or the state apprenticeship
agency in accordance with the Act of August 16, 1937, commonly
known as the National
Apprenticeship Act, which is conducted or sponsored by an
employer, a group of
employers, or a joint apprenticeship committee representing both
employees and a
union, and which contains all terms and conditions for the
qualification, recruitment,
selection, employment, and training of apprentices."
5. DO THE MILITARY
SERVICES OFFER APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS?
Yes. The national apprenticeship system includes over 50,000
apprentices registered in
programs sponsored by the United States Armed Forces. Some are
civilians.
6. IS AN EMPLOYER
REQUIRED TO ACCEPT APPRENTICESHIP CREDIT
EARNED IN THE MILITARY OR OTHER SOURCES?
No; however, many companies generally will allow some credit
based on bona fide work
records provided by either the previous employer or prospective
employee. In fact,
credit may be given on past employment even if the past employer
was not participating
in a registered apprenticeship program. Prospective employers may
require testing to
verify the potential employee's performance level.
7. MUST
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS REGISTER WITH THE BUREAU OF
APPRENTICESHIP AND TRAINING?
Yes.
8. MUST INDIVIDUAL
APPRENTICES REGISTER WITH THE BUREAU OF
APPRENTICESHIP AND TRAINING?
Yes.
9. MUST PUBLIC
SCHOOLS OR POSTSECONDARY INSTITUTIONS THAT
OFFER APPRENTICESHIP-RELATED TRAINING BE REGISTERED
WITH
THE BUREAU OF APPRENTICESHIP AND TRAINING?
No.
10. ARE APPRENTICES
EMPLOYED?
Yes. Apprentices must be full-time or near full-time employees
of the company to which
they are apprenticed. However, in the event of
school-to-apprentice programs, registered
apprentices may be part-time. Apprenticeship activities may cease
for the apprentice if
either laid off or unemployed. Cessation or continuance of
apprenticeship activities may
depend on length of time of layoff or unemployment.
11. WHAT RATE OF PAY
DO APPRENTICES RECEIVE?
Usually the wage scale begins at 40%-50% of a journeyperson's
rate and increases
progressively with satisfactory completion of work assignments
and training segments.
Near the end of the apprenticeship term, pay ranges from 90%-95%
of the full journey-
person's rate.
12. WHO DIRECTLY
SUPERVISES APPRENTICES WORKING ON THE JOB?
Apprentices are directly supervised by journeypersons. The
ratio of apprentices assigned
to a journeyperson is dependent on the trade or craft involved,
union contracts, and other
agreements.
13. WHAT IS RELATED
TRAINING?
Related instruction is the "classroom" portion of
apprenticeship and is an integral part of
an apprenticeship program. It provides each apprentice with the
theoretical and technical
knowledge base necessary to become a successful journeyperson. It
also provides
additional practice and useful examples of job-related skills and
knowledge at work. All
registered programs include related subjects instruction. The
National Apprenticeship
and Training Standards require that a minimum of 144 hours per
year of apprenticeship
training be provided to each trainee in related and supplementary
subjects. This period
of time can be increased by trade and craft standards or by
program sponsors if content
warrants the increase. Some industries require as much as 200 to
300 hours yearly in
related subjects study by apprentices. Some states require all
related training to be
provided by the public school or institutions. (See Question 2 -
What is apprenticeship?)
14. WHAT ARE THE
SUBJECTS TAUGHT IN RELATED TRAINING?
The contents of related subjects instruction, like the number
of hours required, varies by
trade or craft. In general, the kinds of subjects taught include:
- the theory, principles, and technical knowledge needed on
the job;
- auxiliary information that assists workers to better
accept and discharge their
responsibilities; and,
- occasional manipulative skills that are important to the
craft or trade but are not
provided conveniently in the apprentice's on-the-job
training. Frequently this means
that related subjects instruction includes the
principles, concepts, and information
that apprentices must know and use from subject matter
such as mathematics,
general physical sciences, safety, basic measurement, and
blueprint reading, as well
as the study of trade-specific materials and work
processes and procedures.
In addition, related subjects instruction helps to ensure that
workers can communicate
effectively in job-specific ways, can work effectively in
organizations, and have knowledge
about the apprenticeship system. However, regardless of the
trade, craft, or situation, the
subject matter is current to job demands, practical, and directly
useful in working in the
craft or trade.
15. IS RELATED
TRAINING REQUIRED OF AN APPRENTICESHIP?
Yes. The arrangement of on-the-job and related training is a
standard part of typical
apprenticeship indenturing agreements.
16. MUST AN
APPRENTICE COMPLETE THE PROGRAM OF RELATED
TRAINING?
In order to be certified as a completer by the Bureau of
Apprenticeship and Training,
an apprentice must attend and successfully complete the program
of related instruction.
17. HOW LONG DOES
RELATED TRAINING LAST?
Related training (instruction) continues throughout the
apprenticeship term.
18. HOW MANY HOURS
OF RELATED TRAINING ARE REQUIRED PER YEAR?
144 hours or more, depending on the craft or trade.
19. WHERE CAN
RELATED TRAINING BE PROVIDED?
At the public secondary schools offering adult education and
at postsecondary institutions.
Related instruction can also be conducted at a plant, union hall,
etc. Many of the union
apprenticeship programs are fully staffed by journey-level
teachers. In extenuating
circumstances, for example: when the apprentice lives in a rural
area or when the particular
apprenticeable trade population does not warrant class size
training, the related training
may be provided to the apprentice(s) by correspondence course or
by independent study
arrangements. Some states mandate by law that the public schools
and institutions provide
related training.
20. WHO DETERMINES
RELATED TRAINING CURRICULUM?
The sponsor of the program establishes training curriculum.
Some trades and crafts with
national associations or unions provide nationally-recognized
curriculum; however, such
curriculum may be tailored to the local level needs of the
program.
21. WHEN DOES THE
APPRENTICE ATTEND RELATED TRAINING?
Some apprentices attend related training on weekends or
evenings. Others may attend
during the workday, i.e., two days per month.
22. DO APPRENTICES
GET PAID FOR ATTENDING RELATED-TRAINING
CLASSES?
If the apprentice attends related training provided during the
workday, the employer may
be required to provide half-pay or some other reduced rate of
pay. Provisions for paying
apprentices to attend related training would be provided for in
the indenturing agreement
or in contractual form.
23. WHAT IS THE
CRITERIA FOR AN OCCUPATION TO BE APPRENTICEABLE?
Apprenticeable occupations generally are defined as those
occupations for which:
- skills are primarily learned through a combination of
on-the-job training supplemented
by related technical instruction;
- requires at least 2,000 hours of work experience plus
related instruction;
- involves manual, mechanical, or technical skills and is
practiced industry-wide as a
recognizable trade or craft;
- involves the development of a body of skills sufficiently
well-defined to be applicable
throughout an industry; and,
- does not primarily involve only selling, managerial,
clerical, or professional activities.
24. HOW MANY
OCCUPATIONS ARE APPRENTICEABLE?
In March of 1993, 832 occupations were recognized by the U. S.
Department of Labor as
being apprenticeable. More are added from year to year. In 1993,
apprenticeships were
being served in approximately 223 trades or crafts in the State
of Michigan.
25. WHAT SPECIFIC
OCCUPATIONS ARE APPRENTICEABLE?
Too numerous to mention here; however, the current occupations
"officially recognized as
apprenticeable occupations" by the Bureau of Apprenticeship
and Training are available
from the Bureau. Titles and codes of the apprenticeable
occupations are listed in the
Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT).
26. WHAT ARE THE
EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF APPRENTICES?
Requirements vary depending upon the apprenticeable trade or
craft. Some require very
specific educational requirements; however, most require a high
school diploma or its
equivalent.
27. WHO PAYS FOR THE
APPRENTICE PROGRAM?
The program sponsor plans, administers, and pays for the
program.
28. WHAT IS A
PROGRAM SPONSOR?
The program sponsor can be individual employers, groups of
employers, or combinations
of employers and unions. Combinations of equal numbers of
employers and unions are
called joint labor management apprenticeship committees. The term
often is shortened to
Joint Apprenticeship Committee (JAC) or Joint Apprenticeship and
Training Committee
(JATC). The latter term, JATC, applies if the committee
administers a journeyperson
training program to upgrade skills in addition to directing an
apprentice program.
Committees may represent labor and management interests at the
national, state, or
local level. Program sponsors may be governmental agencies at all
levels, including
universities and the military. In Michigan, program sponsors
represent all types of
business and industry throughout the state. Most sponsors are not
affiliated with organized
labor, employ less than 50 employees, are locally owned, and
train one to four apprentices
at one time. Most have no training department or training
personnel.
29. WHAT ARE SOME OF
THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF A PROGRAM SPONSOR?
The sponsor sets policy concerning the conduct of the program.
The sponsor's jurisdiction
includes selecting and indenturing apprentices, supervising
training, establishing training
curriculum, and certifying apprentices as journeypersons upon
completion of the program.
30. WHAT IS THE
BUREAU OF APPRENTICESHIP AND TRAINING?
It is an agency of the United States Department of Labor that
stimulates and assists industry
in the development, expansion, and improvement of apprenticeship
and training programs.
The Bureau's principal functions are to encourage the
establishment of sound apprentice-
ship and training programs and to provide technical assistance to
industry in setting up
such programs.
31. WHAT IS THE ROLE
OF THE U. S. BUREAU OF APPRENTICESHIP AND
TRAINING IN APPRENTICESHIP?
The federal role, as authorized by the National Apprenticeship
Act of 1937, is to promote
labor standards that safeguard the welfare of apprentices and to
guide, improve, and assist
apprenticeship. The Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training is also
responsible for
registering apprenticeship programs and individual apprentices.
32. HOW CAN
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION ASSIST THE APPRENTICESHIP
SYSTEM?
By providing evaluation and assessment services, associate
degree programs, pre-
apprenticeship experiences, curriculum development projects,
instructor training and
certification, related instruction, and advisory committee
participation. Few of these are
provided to the apprenticeship system. Generally, the related
instruction is the most
common type of service available from the educational system.
33. WHAT IS A
JOURNEYPERSON?
A worker who has satisfactorily completed an apprenticeship
and is classified as a skilled
worker in that trade or craft. The journeyperson level of
competency is conferred by a
labor union.
34. TO BE IN AN
APPRENTICE PROGRAM, MUST THE APPRENTICE BE A
MEMBER OF A LABOR UNION?
No.
35. WHAT PERCENT OF
APPRENTICES ARE NOT MEMBERS OF (ORGANIZED
LABOR) UNIONS?
60% - 70%
36. WHAT IS THE
AVERAGE AGE OF APPRENTICES?
Mid-twenties.
37. WHAT IS A
SCHOOL-TO-APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM?
It is a collaborative effort between business, industry,
labor, the Bureau of Apprenticeship
and Training, and education. The linkage may serve secondary,
postsecondary, or adult
students. School-to-Apprenticeship Programs are similar to
cooperative education: both
involve formalized on-the-job training and require related
classroom instruction. Some-
times, school-to-apprenticeship is part of co-op, with co-op
coordinators recruiting the
youth, assisting in placement, and arranging for related
instruction.
38. WHAT IS THE
PURPOSE OF A SCHOOL-TO-APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM?
To enable persons to achieve apprenticeship entrance
competencies and advanced standing
while achieving their formal educational requirements. Students
are guided into part-time
(cooperative) employment or preparatory in-school training as
registered, part-time
apprentices leading to an accepted journeyperson level as an
occupational goal, including
transition to full-time registered apprenticeship upon
satisfactory completion of the formal
vocational/technical program.
39. DOES THE BUREAU
OF APPRENTICESHIP AND TRAINING PROVIDE
JOURNEYPERSON CERTIFICATION TO APPRENTICES AFTER
COMPLETION OF THEIR APPRENTICESHIP?
No. The Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training provides only a
certificate of completion
of the apprenticeship program. The Bureau of Apprenticeship and
Training does not
certify completers of the apprenticeship as journeypersons. If
the apprentice is a member
of a union, the union (under its own rules) may provide
journeyperson certification.
40. HOW MANY PEOPLE
PARTICIPATE NATIONALLY IN THE APPRENTICE-
SHIP PROGRAM?
National 1987 data indicated that each year approximately
320,000 individuals participated
in 45,000 registered apprenticeship programs. National 1989 data
indicated that 22% of
the apprentices were minorities and 7% were female.
41. CAN APPRENTICES
EARN COLLEGE CREDIT FOR THE APPRENTICESHIP
EXPERIENCE?
Yes. Michigan technical colleges offer college credit for many
apprentices. Many large
corporations/unions in Michigan (and nationally) have transferred
apprenticeship-related
training to postsecondary institutions from non-postsecondary
schools in order for the
apprentices to receive college credit.
42. WHY IS
APPRENTICESHIP IMPORTANT FOR THE APPRENTICE?
- Gaining varied skills through instruction and experience
in all major aspects of a
trade or craft;
- Learning to work in harmony with different types of
trades and crafts people in a
work setting;
- Learning to work within a company or work organization;
- Learning about each skilled worker's part in the
productivity plan of the industry
and/or business;
- Receiving a wage with regular increases while learning a
skilled craft or trade;
- Increased employability and economic security; and,
- Receiving recognition as skilled workers from peers,
journeypersons, employers,
and union members.
43. WHY IS
APPRENTICESHIP IMPORTANT TO THE PROGRAM SPONSOR?
For the program sponsor, the advantages for participating in
the apprenticeship training
system include the following:
- Developing and ensuring a supply of trained, skilled, and
knowledgeable workers
and supervisors for their occupations;
- Increasing worker productivity, overall skill levels, and
versatility;
- Lessening the need for supervision of employees by
developing initiative, pride in
craftsmanship, speed and accuracy in work; and,
- Continuing to attract a constant flow of capable people
in the trade or craft.
44. HOW LONG DO
TRADITIONAL APPRENTICESHIPS LAST?
The traditional apprenticeship system stipulates requirements
about the time period for
training. For example, the required length of time for training
ranges from one to six years,
depending upon the specific trade. The majority of programs
require three to four years of
work and study to complete an apprenticeship.
45. HOW LONG DO
PERFORMANCE-BASED APPRENTICESHIPS LAST?
Under the performance-based approach, the time required by an
apprentice to accomplish
individual tasks and complete the overall program depends on the
apprentice's ability to
complete the work. Apprentices are permitted to move ahead at
their own pace, depending
on their prior training, ability to master the task, and
motivation to progress.
46. WHAT IS A STATE
APPRENTICESHIP COUNCIL (SAC)?
A council created by a state to encourage apprenticeship
training within the state's
industries and by establishing minimum standards as a basis for
apprenticeship training.
The councils also assist and promote interest in the
establishment of apprenticeship
training and by serving as a clearinghouse for all matters
pertaining to apprenticeship
training in the state. The councils work in cooperation with the
Bureau of Apprenticeship
and Training. Each council uses the Bureau of Apprenticeship and
Training standards as
the minimum for establishing programs but may add any other state
requirements in
addition to the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training
specifications.
47. ARE STATE
APPRENTICESHIP COUNCILS REQUIRED BY LAW?
State Apprenticeship Councils are not required by federal law.
Michigan does not have a
State Apprenticeship Council; however, 32 states do have such
state councils.
48. WHAT
OCCUPATIONS ARE GENERALLY ACCEPTED TO HAVE THE
LARGEST NUMBER OF APPRENTICES?
Electrician, carpenter, plumber, pipe fitter, and sheet metal
worker. In fact, nearly 80% of
all registered apprentices in the United States are in the
building or metal trades.
49. WHAT DOES THE
TERM "WORK EXPERIENCE" MEAN IN RELATION TO
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS?
The time apprentices spend on the job under journeyperson
supervision, learning step-by-
step, through demonstration and practice, the individual work
process of a chosen skilled
occupation.
50. WHERE DO
INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN BECOMING APPRENTICES GO
TO FIND OUT ABOUT SUCH OPPORTUNITIES?
Individuals should get in touch with their local employment
service office or the
appropriate joint apprenticeship committee, union, or employers
for the craft they want to
enter.
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