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Community Corner

College Grads Trade Fields

Representatives working with local trade unions say their paid apprenticeship programs have taken in college graduates looking for work.

With the economy still sluggish and unemployment rates high, some college graduates are turning away from tough job markets and toward careers in labor.

In the Greater Pittsburgh area, several alliances of craft and labor unions offer apprenticeships that allow trainees to earn wages while they pursue certifications. Some, like the Builders Guild of Western Pennsylvania, are even tuition-free. 

Jason Fincke, executive director of the Builders Guild, said it’s not surprising to see college graduates applying for apprenticeships.

“We’re getting a lot of college graduates today who, quite frankly, have tuition bills to pay back,” Fincke said. 

The Builders Guild, a partnership between 17 trade unions and more than 400 contractors, will work with roughly 650 apprentices in the next year, Fincke said. Those apprentices were chosen from a stack of some 6,000 applications, he said, adding that it’s common for folks to wait a year or two between application and acceptance to a program.

The average apprentice is in his or her mid-20s, Fincke said, though some come right out of high school and others come for further training after working in the field for years.

Fields such as bricklaying, steamfitting, carpentry, iron work and electrical work are represented in the guild, and training sites are located near Collier, Dormont and Monroeville, among other places.

Apprentices in various programs study for four to five weeks per year over a three- to five-year period before earning journeyman certification. The remainder of the training is spent with associated contractors.

“Most of the time they’re going to be on the job site,” Ficke said. “And when you’re on the job site, you get paid.”

The only cost associated with their programs is a registration fee of $35 or less, Fincke said. A typical apprentice earns $120,000 before exiting the program, with starting wages ranging from $10 to $25 per hour. Transition to full-time work usually happens quickly afterward, he said.

While new apprentices don’t need to have trade-specific skills, having a strong background in math helps, Fincke said. The group administers a test to applicants that helps it determine who to accept and where to place them.

Otherwise, applicants must be drug-free and at least 18, and have a valid driver’s license and a diploma or GED. Applications are accepted throughout the year.

The work is physically intensive and is not for everyone, Fincke admitted, but it can be rewarding for people who don’t mind the labor. He said the job market wavers, both seasonally and with the larger economic climate, but the future looks promising.

Part of his optimism, Fincke said, stems from demographic changes. The baby boomer generation is starting to leave the workforce, he said, and that should open up many jobs.

“It’s picking up for us,” he said, adding that roughly 200 more apprentices were accepted this year than in the past few. “We’re encouraged by the forecasts.”

At the Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local Union No. 9 in Wilkins Township, which is a member of the Builders Guild, all 100 apprentices are working on jobs, said Apprentice Training Coordinator Kurt Keller.

Some years, Keller said, the work opportunities available exceed the number of applications he receives. The program is split into specialized areas, including bricklaying, ceramics, masonry and restoration work.

“With the age of this city, the renovation is everywhere,” Keller said.

Keller said between 20 and 25 percent of his apprentices have some college background, while others come from vocational programs at high schools. 

The program doesn’t take in more apprentices than it can provide work for, Keller said. But if someone has another job and wants to begin taking its Saturday classes until work is available, the BAC will accommodate him or her. 

Other partnerships with apprentice programs, such as the Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association, have tuition fees but may be less competitive.

This year, the NTMA accepted 155 apprentices from about 175 applicants, according Liz Blashock, program coordinator for New Century Careers, which manages the the group’s apprenticeship program. The others weren’t turned down, she said, but had chosen to not to enroll. 

“The jobs are here,” Blashock said. “The biggest complaints we get from employers is that they don’t have trained workers to do the jobs.”

NTMA apprentices pay $1,000 a year in tuition and buy their own books. But, Blashock noted, the cost is much less than attending college—and apprentices log 2,000 hours of paid work in a year. 

Like the Builders Guild, NTMA combines classroom and on-site training. But it doesn’t necessarily place apprentices with companies. Many in the program are already employed and are sent there by there companies, Blashock said. For apprentices without work, the company sends resumes out to companies.

Blashock, too, said she’s seen college graduates enroll in the program, which has one school on the South Side and others in New Stanton and New Kensington. Applications are accepted throughout the year, with classes beginning in September.

For more information on apprenticeships, click on the links: Builders Guild of Western PennsylvaniaPittsburgh Chapter of the National Tooling and Machining AssociationBricklayers & Allied Crafts Local Union No. 9, in Wilkins Township; Greater Pennsylvania Regional Council of Carpenters, which has training center in Collier; and Elevator Constructors Local Union No. 6, near Dormont.

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