Apprenticeship is an industry-driven, high-quality career track. Employers develop their workforce, and individual employees obtain paid work experience, classroom instruction, mentorship, and a nationally recognized NCCER credential.
The criteria to be certified is a little different for each trade. For example, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) requires 6,000 on-the-job hours, and 432 classroom hours, or what is called related technical instruction. Your employees can become apprentices in many construction trades including carpentry, electrical, plumbing, heavy equipment operations, and HVAC, to name a few.
On-the-job hours are conducted during working hours at the job site, under the guidance of a journeyman trades person working with the apprentice at the company. The classroom hours are at the GCA Trades Academy. The instructors are professionals in their construction fields trained by the GCA Trades Academy to instruct the NCCER curriculum.
After all of the on-the-job training and classroom instruction, employees are certified in that construction trade by the U.S. Department of Labor.
The Guam Registered Apprenticeship Program is actually made up of four different parts.
- The Guam Contractors Association is the sponsor with the apprenticeship standards.
- The GCA Trades Academy is the training institute.
- The employer indentures the apprentice and provides the journeyman to teach the apprentice on the job.
- The apprentice will go through training to become certified in the construction trade.
If your company is considering starting a registered apprenticeship program, consider these benefits to your company and to your employees:
- Productivity increases because your employees are trained in the latest best practices in the construction industry.
- An increase in skills creates a better product for your customers.
- A more professional image enhances your company’s reputation as a company which not only performs quality work, but also continually improves by training trades people.
- Increased safety performance reduces lost hours on the job site and improves health care costs.
The Guam Contractors Association offers turnkey support to get your program up and running quickly. We'll help you with the administration of the program, while you focus on developing your future workforce. Our experience guiding companies through this process means you won't have to reinvent the wheel or navigate complex requirements alone.
Ready to build the skilled team your company needs?
Contact me today to get started on creating an apprenticeship program tailored to your company's unique needs and goals. mbj
— Francine Taitague is the education director at the Guam Contractors Association. She can be reached at [email protected].