Mar 2009 Vol. 12 No. 3

Pre-apprenticeship program now required

John Bullock, Executive Director Carpenters Training Committee for Northern California

To help our future journeymen, foremen, superintendents and project managers succeed in the real world of the construction industry, applicants for CTCNC apprentice programs are now required to complete a nine-week pre-apprenticeship program.

The new requirement, beginning March 1, 2009, applies to all those who want to join the Carpenter, Insulator, Acoustical Installer, Hardwood Floor Layer, Scaffold Erector or Shingler apprenticeship programs.

"It’s very competitive out there," said Michael Walton, Secretary of the Construction Employers Association (CEA)."Our union contractors can’t afford to hire workers who are not prepared to show up on time every day with the right tools and the right attitude. These new apprentices are our future. We want them to succeed, and this new program gives them another leg up."

The Training Committee adopted these changes after a two-year pilot program proved that a quality pre-apprenticeship program could improve retention rates and employability for beginning apprentices.

The pre-apprenticeship program provides participants with a clear understanding of the realities of a career in the trades. It includes physical fitness, life skills training, hands-on power tool safety and certification training, and drug testing. Apprentices also learn hiring hall rules, and the requirements and benefits of joining and retaining their membership in the union.

Graduates are awarded a starter set of hand tools.

The first classes will be held at CTCNC training centers in Fairfield, Pleasanton, Morgan Hill and Fresno, beginning March 16, 2009. Additional sites will be added as needed.

For more information on the pre-apprenticeship program and all of the training available for members, visit our website at www.ctcnc.org.

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