Apprenticeship Training
A Unique, Profitable Approach to Building a Career
Imagine that you are in your junior or senior year of high school and you have no idea what you want to do once you graduate. Everyone advises you to go to college, but in your heart you know a four-year college or university education is not the path you want to follow. You notice employers are not beating on your door offering you employment. There is a lot of competition out there! Now what do you do to give yourself an advantage? How do you increase your worth to an employer so they would want to hire you? You could take advantage of a unique, effective training opportunity to build the necessary sets of skills that are sought after by the employer.
Would you be interested in becoming a full-time employee of a company that is keenly interested in having you work for them while, at the same time, they train you in a specific occupation important to that company and to you? What kind of training is this where you get paid to learn? It is the training you receive as an apprentice in a registered apprenticeship program. If you are still in school the information in this article is something you would want to keep in mind while planning what you want to do after graduation. Apprenticeship training requires that you be a full-time employee of a company that has a registered apprenticeship program. Also, most of these companies require that an apprentice be at least 18 years of age, be physically capable of doing the job, have dependable transportation and have a high school diploma or GED.
Apprenticeship is a time-tested method of teaching occupational skills. Apprenticeship training goes back thousands of years. A stone carver in ancient Egypt learned how to do that as an apprentice. A Middle Ages blacksmith learned as an apprentice. George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were both apprentices. A current day electrician, elevator constructor or plumber probably learned that trade through apprenticeship. Currently, 84 separate occupations are being apprenticed in Florida through 243 program sponsors. Some 9,700 persons are benefiting from the advantages of participating as apprentices in Florida. Is apprenticeship the path for you to achieve your dreams of a good career?
It is important to note that not all apprenticeship programs are in every area of the state. For example there are 36 electrician apprenticeship programs located in 22 of Florida's 67 counties. Compare that to an occupation like Telecommunications Technician, which is apprenticed through eight apprenticeship-training programs in seven counties, or Powerhouse Mechanic that is found in only one county. You may be wondering, "Where can I learn more about the different types of apprenticeships offered, the name of the apprenticeship program nearest to me that I'm interested in, how long the training takes, and who I should contact about the steps I must take to become an apprentice?" The answers to these and other questions can be found at the Florida Department of Education Apprenticeship Programs Section website at: http://www.fldoe.org/workforce/apprenticeship/. Visit this site and explore the numerous apprenticeship opportunities that are available. In looking through the information pay attention to the persons listed as Program Sponsor. This is the person you should contact about the steps you should take to become considered for that particular apprenticeship program. The contact person can also tell you the wage scale for various points in the program if you are chosen to be an apprentice.
As you move around in the website you will see that the training time falls in a range of 2,000-10,000 hours depending on the occupation. The hours refer to the number of hours of on-the-job training required to complete that part of the apprenticeship. Most programs are 4,000-6,000 hours in length and since there are 2,000 work hours in a year, the programs are three to four years long. Don't let that discourage you. Don't forget you are a full-time employee during this time and your pay increases about every six months during your apprenticeship. In addition to the on-the-job training, apprentices receive at least 144 hours of related technical instruction yearly for the duration of the apprenticeship. For the most part, this is evening instruction, which occurs one or two evenings a week and may take place at a local technical center, or state college or at a location provided by the program sponsor.
It is also important to understand that apprentice positions are competitive because there are a limited number of slots available and some programs only start apprentices once or twice a year. Keep in mind the sponsor (employer) is investing a considerable amount of money and resources to teach you a trade. In turn, they expect that you take your job and your training seriously as well as endeavor to learn the required job skills and related instruction information.
According to a 2006 analysis of US Census wages data, the average salary for a person who completed a registered apprenticeship training program is about $44,928 a year while the average high school graduate earned roughly $31,071 a year. Compare the average apprenticeship completer's wage with college graduates who, on the average, earned $56,788 annually. However, the apprentices earned money while they learned their skills and were gainfully employed the whole time.
Many apprentices tend to stay with their employer after completing their program. Why not? The employer knows you, your work ethic, your dependability, and knows exactly what you've been trained to do and how that helps the organization. Apprenticeship is a "win-win" for you and the program sponsor.
Please keep registered apprenticeship training in mind as you plan your future and don't forget to explore the Department of Education's Apprenticeship website. Good luck.
Editorial provided by David L. Islitzer, Apprenticeship and Training Representative – Florida Department of Education, Northwest Florida.
