APPRENTICESHIPS

Apprenticeship Program Information from U.S. Department of Labor

Apprenticeship | Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor

This Office of Apprenticeships page on the U.S. Department of Labor website offers links to different resources related to registered apprenticeship programs.

Apprenticeship and Training Plans | Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor

This page on the U.S. Department of Labor website explains that there are several DOL agencies involved with apprenticeship programs and several federal laws.  The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) administers the framework for registration of apprenticeship programs and provides oversight of program operations, as required under the National Apprenticeship Act of 1937.  Apprenticeship programs that are funded with trust assets, including most collectively bargained programs, will likely be considered employee benefit plans and thus subject to regulation under the Employee Retirement Security Act (ERISA) and the Labor Management Relations Act (LMRA), which require that trust fund assets be governed and managed under specific standards. The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has oversight responsibility on ERISA requirements.  This page explains some of these standards.

Information about Construction Trade Apprenticeship Programs

Education and Training | United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry (UA)

The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry (UA) represents more than 380,000 plumbers, pipefitters, sprinkle fitters, HVACR Service Technicians, Welders and Pipelines working in the construction industry. The UA established the first nationally registered apprenticeship program recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor.  This page provides information about apprenticeship programs sponsored by the UA.

Electrical Training Alliance | International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) – National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) represents electrical workers in a wide variety of fields and is one of the largest and oldest labor unions in the United States. The IBEW and the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) jointly created the Electrical Training Alliance more than 70 years ago to train the best electrical workers in the industry.  This page provided information on careers in the electrical industry and IBEW NECA apprenticeship programs.

International Training Institute (ITI) | International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA)

The International Training Institute is jointly sponsored by SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) to support training and apprenticeship programs for union workers in the sheet metal industry.  This page provides information about apprenticeship programs in this industry and the Find a Training Center link takes you to a national directory to find local programs.

Find a Training Center

National Training Fund | International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, AFL-CIO (IW)

The International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, AFL-CIO (IW), represents about 120,000 iron workers in North America working on bridges, structural steel, ornamental, architectural and miscellaneous metals, rebar and in shops.  Ironworkers are involved in every type of major construction project.  This site provides information on jobs in the iron worker industry and a link to a national directory of training centers. 

Ironworkers 

Become an Apprentice | International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers (HFIAW or Insulators)

The International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers (HFIAW or Insulators) is a trade union representing workers skilled in the installation of mechanical insulation, fire stopping, asbestos, and lead mitigation or abatement, sound attenuation and specialty fabrications required in custom mechanical insulation installations for commercial, industrial, medical, bio-technical, governmental and educational facilities among other customer types. This page provides general information about apprenticeships in these fields and a way to request information.

Apprenticeship and Training Resources | North American Building Trades Union (NABTU)

The North American Building Trades Union is comprised of fourteen national and international unions and over 330 trade councils, representing more than 3 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada.  This page on the NABTU website describes construction industry registered apprenticeship and training programs that train workers to provide skilled construction services combining on-the-job training with classroom instruction and allow apprentices to earn-as-you-learn.

This page also provides links to affiliated unions that sponsor construction industry apprenticeship programs.

LIUNA Training and Education Fund | Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA)

The Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) sponsors affiliated training centers throughout the United States and Canada teaching skills for various types of work in commercial and residential construction.  This page provides information about the training centers and related careers.

Apprenticeship Opportunities for Veterans

Apprenticeship: Earn While You Learn | Helmets to Hardhats (H2H)

The mission of Helmets to Hardhats is to help transition military veterans into successful careers in the building trades.  The Helmets to Hardhats website provides information about the benefits of apprenticeships along with resources to connect veterans and transitioning service members with career opportunities in the construction industry, including information about construction careers and related apprenticeship programs.

Research Report: Union-Based Apprenticeships

Union-Based Apprenticeship for Young People: Creating Good Jobs and Meeting Employers’ Needs for Skills by Zach Boren, Andrew Campbell, Bhavani Arabandi, John Marotta, Danield Kuehn, Jacqueline Rayfield, November 2022 | Urban Institute

The Urban Institute is a nonprofit research organization dedicated to developing evidence-based insights that improve people’s lives and strengthen communities.  This research report examines unions’ approaches to training young people and young people’s experiences learning a trade in registered apprenticeship programs.