Apprenticeship Guidebook 2011 Lincoln Land Building & Construction Trades Council Region Sponsored by: Eastern IL. Education for Employment System Lake Land Partnerships for College and Career Success Lincoln Land Building & Construction Trades Council Workforce Opportunities Resource Consortium
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Apprenticeship
Guidebook 2011
Lincoln Land Building &
Construction Trades Council Region
Sponsored by:
Eastern IL. Education for Employment System
Lake Land Partnerships for College and Career Success
Lincoln Land Building & Construction Trades Council
Workforce Opportunities Resource Consortium
Overview
An apprenticeship is a formal method of training in a skilled occupation, craft or trade. During the
apprenticeship period, the apprentice is employed to learn an occupation through a structured
program of on-the-job training with related classroom technical instruction.
The United States Department of Labor recognizes more than 800 apprenticeable occupations.
Most apprenticeships are in construction, manufacturing, transportation, and services.
Apprenticeship training is the major way to prepare for some occupations such as carpenter,
baker, or machinist, apprenticeship is one of several ways to prepare for skilled or “journey
level” jobs.
Program Information
Programs vary in length from one to six years; four years is the average. A few programs last less
than one year.
Training takes from 2,000 to 8,000 hours of working on the job. Also, for each 2,000 hours of
training on the job, 144 hours of classroom instruction are required.
Applicants must usually be 18 years of age or older and have a high school diploma or GED. It is
helpful to have taken some vocational courses. Some programs also require specific course work,
the physical ability to work in the trade, and a passing score on an aptitude test.
Apprenticeships pay usually begins at nearly 40% to 50% of the pay rate for journey-level
workers. After six months, the pay rate begins to move up periodically until the apprentice
reaches the journey level. Wages are never less than the federal minimum wage.
Apprenticeship programs are developed with the cooperation of area joint apprenticeship
committees.
Applicants are expected to complete an application form and submit it with a birth certificate,
school transcripts, and letter of recommendation. In the selection process, the top candidates will
be interviewed and those selected will be placed on a waiting list (which is active for two years).
Apprenticeship committees give points for experience in the trade, knowledge of the trade, and
grades in trade-related courses. Applicants with the highest number of points are selected for the
program. There are many more applicants than apprenticeship openings in some trades and
locations. Those selected often have more trade-related experience, more education, and higher
grades than the minimum requirements described for the apprenticeship.
Apprenticeship programs are sponsored by labor unions, employers or a combination of the two.
The sponsor plans, administers, and pays for the program. The worker (apprentice) signs a
written employment agreement and is a full-time, paid employee of the company where he or she
is apprenticed. When apprentices finish their training, they receive a certificate of completion
issued by the State Apprenticeship Agency or by the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training.
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Selection Committee Concerns
In most apprenticeable trades, a local committee interviews and selects apprentices. Committee
members represent both management and labor. Below are some general concerns of selection
committee members, along with suggestions on how to deal with their concerns. In the next
section are examples of questions they may ask during the interview.
Specific questions vary with the trade and the committee. To meet federal Equal Employment
Opportunity and Affirmative Action requirements, committee members will ask each applicant
the same questions.
Committee members are especially interested in:
YOUR DESIRE AND PERSISTENCE
Explain why you want to enter the trade.
Tell how you became interested in the trade.
Let the committee know if you have ever applied to this or any other trade before.
YOUR KNOWLEGE OF THE TRADE
Describe how you have observed the work and the work setting.
Describe some of the jobs the workers perform.
Talk about the tools and equipment used in the trade.
Know how long the apprenticeship program is.
Know what the wages are for apprentices and journey-level workers.
Describe how you have observed or studied other trades and explain your reasons for
choosing this particular trade over others.
YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE
Describe any work experience that may be related to the trade or that may have provided
exposure to the trade.
Relate any experience where you have had a favorable work record such as good
references, attendance, or long-term employment.
YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
Describe hobbies or activities that show abilities or skills related to the trade. For example,
doing minor repairs around the house, using hand tools, fixing or maintaining your car, or
planning the family budget.
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Sample Interview Questions
Following are sample questions that may be asked by selection committee members during the
interview. You should answer as completely as possible and tell the committee ALL of your trade-
related interests, activities, awards, and experiences.
Why do you want to be a …?
Why did you choose this over some other trade?
Construction sites are cold in winter, hot in summer; they can be muddy and wet. What
makes you consider working in these conditions?
What kinds of work have you done in the past?
Do you have any paid or unpaid work experience or hobbies that relate to this trade?
Can you travel if the job requires it?
Do you have transportation available?
I see you attended college. Why aren‟t you working in the field for which you trained? (If
the applicant attended college.)
How do you feel about going to school as part of your apprenticeship?
Is there anything else that you would like to tell us about yourself? (This general question
provides you with the opportunity to mention any skills, interests, goals, or activities not
covered in previous questions and that you think are important.)
Typical Course Work
Classroom instruction is designed to provide apprentices with knowledge in technical subjects
related to their trade.
For example, construction apprenticeships may include course work in blueprint reading,
carpentry, iron work, and concrete work. At least 144 hours of related classroom instruction are
required during each year of apprenticeship training. Classes are taught by journey worker
instructors and are usually held in a Union Facility.
The apprentice must show satisfactory progress on the job and in related classroom instruction.
To master a particular trade, an apprentice must learn and perfect each skill and bring those
skills up to speed and accuracy required of the job. A good attendance record is also important.
Things To Know
There is often a long wait between selection as an apprentice and assignment to a job.
A construction trade study showed that apprentices get broader training than people who learn
the trade informally. Journey-workers who were trained informally on the job, work in the trade
longer, and most of them become supervisors.
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College Credit
Some two-year colleges offer “credit for experience” for appropriate work experience in an
apprenticeable occupation. For information about credit toward an associate degree contact your
local state technical college, community college, or university.
To find out what programs are available contact the Apprenticeship Office in your area.
More Apprenticeship Information:
For more information on Apprenticeable Trades, contact any of the following:
-Union firms that have workers in the trade in which you are interested.
- The local union that represents the trade in which you are interested. (Consult the yellow pages
of your local telephone directory under „labor organizations‟.)
- The nearest Illinois Employment and Training Center (Consult the white pages under Illinois
Department of Employment Security.)
-Apprenticeship Information Centers. Contact the Illinois Department of Employment Security
office in your area.
-The nearest Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training.
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Apprenticeships in the Lincoln Land Building &
Construction Trades Council Region
Table of Contents
Craft Page Number
Boilermakers 7
Bricklayers 8
Carpenters 9
Cement Masons 10
Construction Craft Laborers 11
Electricians 12
Elevator Constructors 13
Glaziers 14
Heat & Frost Insulators 15
Iron Workers 16
Millwrights 17
Operating Engineers 18
Painters 19
Plasterers 20
Plumbers, Pipefitters and Sprinkler Fitters 21
Roofers 22
Sheet Metal Workers 23
Teamsters 24
Wage Rates 25
Apprenticeship Openings 26
Apprenticeship Web Page Information 27
Local Unions According to County 28
Local Unions Web Page Information 29
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Boilermakers
Boilermakers and boilermaker mechanics make, install, and repair boilers, vats, and other large
vessels that hold either liquids or gases. Boilers supply steam to drive huge turbines in electric
power plants to provide heat and power in buildings, factories, and ships. Tanks and vats are
used to process and store chemicals, oil, beer, and hundreds of other products. By following
blueprints and using straightedges, squares, transits and tape measures, boilermakers are able
to locate and mark reference points on the boiler foundation for installing boilers and other
vessels. They attach rigging as signal crane operators lift the heavy frame, plate sections, and
other parts into place. They then align sections by using plumb bobs, levels, wedges and
turnbuckles. Boilermakers use hammers, files, grinders and cutting torches to remove irregular
edges so the edges fit properly.
Because boilers last a long time, boilermakers regularly maintain them and update components
such as burners and boiler tubes to increase efficiency.
Boilermaker mechanics maintain and repair boilers and similar vessels. They inspect tubes,
fittings, valves, controls, and auxiliary machinery and clean or supervise the cleaning of boilers.
They repair or replace defective parts, using hand and power tools, gas torches and welding
equipment, and may operate metalworking machinery to repair or make any necessary parts.
They also dismantle leaky boilers, patch weak spots with metal stock, replace defective sections,
or strengthen joints.
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS: Must be at least eighteen years of age
and present a valid birth certificate. One must have reliable transportation and be able to speak,
write, and read the English language.
A drug screening and physical exam must be passed and an apprentice must be a legal resident
of the United States and reside in the local union jurisdiction.
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM: The apprenticeship program usually consists of four years
on-the-job training, supplemented by about 144 hours of classroom instruction each year in
subjects such as set-up and assembly rigging, welding of all types, blueprint reading and layout.
WAGE INFORMATION: Apprentices start at 60 percent of scale. See wage scales in back of
this booklet.
RECOMMENDED PREPARTORY CLASSES: Drafting, industrial technology and any
classes related to construction or engineering technology are recommended.
WORKING CONDITIONS: Boilermakers work in all types of weather conditions and at various
heights. Sometimes working space is confined.
ABILITIES: Must be able to understand how things should fit together, be able to see details in
objects, and must be able to make decisions.
CONTACT: Boilermakers Local #363
Richard Eller, Business Manager
2358 Mascoutah Ave.
Belleville, IL 62220
(618) 234–8843
Apply at address above last Wednesday of every month, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Bring birth certificate, H.S. diploma or G.E.D.
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Bricklayers & Allied Craftsworkers
Bricklayers create attractive, durable surfaces and structures using the tools of the trade, their
hands and an artisan eye. The work of a bricklayer varies in complexity, from laying a simple
masonry walkway to installing the ornate exterior of a high-rise building. Bricklayers build walls,
floors, partitions, fireplaces, chimneys, and other structures with brick, pre-cast masonry panels,
concrete block and other masonry materials. Some bricklayers specialize in installing firebrick
linings, high heat and erosion resistant materials in oil refineries, power plants and large
furnaces. Other bricklayers specialize in ceramic and quarry tile, restoration specialist, as well as
mosaic and terrazzo work.
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS: An applicant must be seventeen years
of age and supply a high school diploma or a GED certificate along with a valid driver‟s license.
You must by physically able to perform the work assigned.
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM: You will be required to complete 4,500 hours of on the job
training. Apprentices attend school one night a week from September to March each year in
Effingham, totaling a minimum of 144 hours related to training per year. The class is 5 p.m. to 8
p.m. and is mandatory.
WAGE INFORMATION: Apprentices start at 50 percent of journeymen wages plus full fringe
benefits including two pension plans, health and welfare. After each 750 reported hours, you will
automatically move up to the next pay scale.
RECOMMENDED PREPARTORY CLASSES: Some recommended preparatory classes
include: mathematics, algebra, blueprint reading, drafting, shop, welding, ag classes or
experience pertaining to construction.
WORKING CONDITIONS: Bricklayer‟s usually work outdoors; Mother Nature has a lot to do
with our work schedule, rainy days and freezing weather are usually days off. Bricklaying is a
very physical job, not only the weight of the block, but the repetitive motion of laying brick in an
eight hour work day. If the safety training we teach is followed, an injury on the job is not likely.
ABILITIES: Must be physically capable and mentally alert to perform the job of a bricklayer.
CONTACT: Bricklayers Local Union #8 Bricklayers Local Union #8
Dan McCall, President Dan McCall, President
P.O. Box 6569 104 West Washington
3301 North Boardwalk Drive Effingham, Illinois 62401
Champaign, Illinois 61826 (217) 347–2522
(217) 356–0419
Carpenters
Carpenters are involved in many different kinds of construction activities. They cut, fit and
assemble wood and other materials in the construction of buildings, highways, bridges, docks and
industrial plants. A special trade contractor, for example, may specialize in one or two activities,
such as setting forms for concrete construction or erecting scaffolding. However, a carpenter
employed by a general building contractor may perform many tasks, such as framing walls and
partitions, putting in doors and windows, hanging kitchen cabinets and installing paneling and tile
ceilings. Working from blueprints or instructions from supervisors, carpenters first do the layout
measuring, marking and arranging materials. They then cut and shape wood, plastic, ceiling
tile, fiberglass, or drywall using hand and power tools, such as chisels, planes, saws, drills,
and sanders, and then join the materials with nails, screws, staples or adhesives. In the final
step, they check the accuracy of their work with levels, rulers, plumb bobs, and framing
scales and make any necessary adjustments.
APPRENTICSHIP PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS: Must be at least seventeen years of age and
present a valid birth certificate, drivers license and social security card. An apprentice must have a
high school diploma or a G.E.D. certificate. One must also have reliable transportation. As well as
be able to speak, write and read the English language, pass drug screening, be physically able to
perform work of the trade, be a legal resident of the United States and must be sponsored by a
signatory contractor with a letter of introduction. Submit a DD – 214 to verify military training or
experience if apprentice is a veteran and wishes to receive consideration for such
training/experience. The apprentice must reside in the local unions‟ jurisdiction.
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM: The apprenticeship program lasts for four years. Apprentices
attend school quarterly for one entire week at the J.A.T.C. along with on the job training.
WAGE INFORMATION: Apprentices start at 40 percent of scale. See wage scales in back of this