Apprenticeship 101

"Where do I find installers?" is a common question these days. As is the case for many industries, there's not one easy answer to this problem in the world of construction. A lot of people are nearing retirement and young people have been steered toward college and away from the trades for generations, so where do you find employees when the trades are on fewer and fewer peoples' minds? 

Apprenticeship can be the answer

Again, there's no single "silver bullet" solution that will work for every employer in every circumstance, but there are two main approaches that can help solve this problem.

First, look for employees in places you may not have considered before, whether that means building relationships with local high school CTE programs, connecting with local organizations that help people just entering or returning to the workforce after an absence, or partnering with your chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction. Second, be ready to provide those new employees with a structured training program through a Registered Apprenticeship. 

How apprenticeship can help

Apprenticeship has been all the buzz for a few years now, promoted as the solution to workforce shortages for everything from construction to manufacturing to healthcare to IT. It really can be a solution in all these industries, but what actually is it?  

At its core, an apprenticeship is a training program. An apprentice is an employee of your company that learns the trade through on-the-job training and mentorship from your experienced staff combined with trade-specific coursework to supplement the skills being learned on the job.

Apprenticeship programs are regulated by the government, usually either your state's labor department or the US Department of Labor, depending on what state you're in. They ensure the apprentice is working safely, being paid appropriately, and learning the skills needed for the job, but the program belongs to the organization sponsoring it, which could be your company or a third party like a trade association or community college. That sponsor develops the standards of the program: the skills the apprentice will learn, how much they'll be paid as they progress through the program, where they'll go for the classwork portion (keep in mind that NGA offers a full, USDOL-approved apprenticeship curriculum for glaziers), and so on. Details can vary quite a bit from state to state but all of the above applies in most circumstances. Participating in an apprenticeship can not only develop your team, it can also help you land prevailing wage projects and even open the door to tax credits and other funding opportunities. 

Learn more

Interested in learning more? Join us for Thirsty Thursday on December 11th for Glazier Apprenticeship 101 where we’ll dive deeper into how apprenticeship works, how to get involved, the benefits for your business, and how NGA can help.