Labor demographics highlight need for apprenticeship programs
TARYN PLUMB
SPECIAL
TO THE WORCESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL
Existing
in some form or another for thousands of years, apprenticeships are
about as old as the concept of work itself; they are the method by
which novices have mastered the literal building blocks of society.
And
even still, when college degrees are touted as one of the 21st
century's steadiest paths to gainful employment, apprenticeships –
learning on the job – remain relevant.
With
the combination of a consistent pipeline of infrastructure and
building projects and an aging workforce, skilled trades continue to
demand and actively court apprentices.
According
to a 2013 report by the Georgetown University Center on Education and
the Workforce, there will be a shortfall of 5 million workers with
post-secondary education and training by the year 2020.
"In
the next five to 10 years, there's going to be a mass exodus –
we're going to be losing people with 20, 30 years of experience,"
said David Minasian, organizer with the New England Regional Council
of Carpenters. The average age of a carpenter, he noted, is 45. "We
need to train the next generation now so that when that exodus
happens, we have a skilled workforce that is competitive and can meet
the demands of an ever-changing industry," Minasian said.
That
begins, simply, with awareness.
Minasian
and others stressed the various benefits of skilled trades, which
encompass a wide swath including carpentry, bricklaying, plumbing,
electrical, IT and – more recently as it regains a foothold in the
United States – manufacturing.
Speaking
of his industry in particular, training director Mark Kuenzel of
Local 7 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in
Springfield emphasized a "good retirement, better pay, better
education, local representation, a safer workplace."
Electricians
in training start at about $15 an hour, moving up to $26-plus while
apprenticing, Kuenzel said, before ascending to a journeyman's wage
of $38 per hour.
Minasian
agreed about the potential of carpentry apprenticeship programs,
saying, "In four years, you can have a middle-class career."
Programs
originated in 1930s
According
to the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning public policy
research and advocacy organization, a formal, registered system of
apprenticeships was created by the National Apprenticeship Act in
1937. Apprenticeships last between one and six years, depending on
the industry, and include 2,000 hours of on-the-job-learning and at
least 144 hours of classroom-based instruction. A certificate of
completion – serving as a portable, nationally recognized
credential – is issued after all thresholds have been crossed.
The
New England Regional Council of Carpenters has about 60 apprentices
in Worcester County, according to Minasian. Over a four-year-long
process, they work on-site, and also receive training at the New
England Carpenters Training Center in Millbury.
Prospective
electricians, meanwhile, spend five years working 40-hour weeks and
participating in 1,000 hours of education, according to Kuenzel.
Recruitment,
he said, includes holding regular informational sessions, and
constantly networking with vocational schools, colleges, community
groups and employers.
Preparing
for the future is also about consistent investment, Minasian noted.
For example, he said, the Millbury training center has 14 new welding
shops under construction, and apprentices are constantly apprised of
the newest energy efficiency and green building tactics.
Proactivity
is also key
"We're
definitely bumping up to replace the numbers that are leaving,"
Kuenzel said, stressing, "We always tell our young apprentices:
'Learn all you can from the old-timers.' "
Over
the past few years, an IBEW apprenticeship training committee has
been systematically taking in larger apprenticeship classes –
between 18 and 25, Kuenzel said, compared with 12 to 18 in the past.
Every year, the committee holds five informational sessions that
attract 400 to 500 prospects. And ultimately, he noted an overall
increased interest in trades.
"The
quality of candidates we're getting is very good," he said.
Better
training, better trainees
Stressing
a higher caliber of students due to both stellar vocational school
programs and early- or mid-career changers, Minasian agreed that "we
are getting a record amount of applicants."
But
going forward, much more can be done, said Susan Mailman, board
member of the Massachusetts Apprenticeship Advisory Council, and
fourth-generation owner and president of Coghlin Electrical
Contractors and Coghlin Network Services, both in Worcester.
Community
colleges and manufacturers can concurrently build curriculum, and
industries can begin reaching out to students at a younger age
through such efforts as pre-apprenticeship programs, she said. Also,
the city, contractors and skilled workers can forge partnerships that
can help all parties – for example, establishing requirements that
certain projects have a minimum apprenticeship ratio.
"We
talk a lot about economic development, pushing the city forward,"
said Mailman. "We can do it in conjunction with workforce
development."
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