Programs

Craft Apprenticeship Programs

Click on any county to find apprenticeship programs of WV State Building Trades affiliated Unions. Programs of non-affiliated groups are not listed. Some programs cover additional counties in surrounding states.

Barbour Berkeley Boone Braxton Brooke Cabell Calhoun Clay Doddridge Fayette Gilmer Grant Greenbrier Hampshire Hancock Hardy Harrison Jackson Jefferson Kanawha Lewis Lincoln Logan Marion Marshall Mason McDowell Mercer Mineral Mingo Monongalia Monroe Morgan Nicholas Ohio Pendleton Pleasants Pocahontas Preston Putnam Raleigh Randolph Ritchie Roane Summers Taylor Tucker Tyler Upshur Wayne Webster Wetzel Wirt Wood Wyoming

What is apprenticeship? 

Apprenticeship is a combination of on-the-job training and related classroom instruction in which workers learn the practical and theoretical aspects of a highly skilled occupation.

  •  be a minimum of 18 years of age 
  • have high school diploma or the equivalent
  • be drug-free

Trade unions have different schedules for taking applications, and as you narrow the scope of your trade choice/interest you can get more details here.

As for cost, a construction trades apprenticeship uses an “Earn As You Learn” model. This means that your apprenticeship training is tuition free, and you will be paid an “apprenticeship” wage rate as you do your training in the field. There is also classroom work as part of your training. Depending on the craft program, you may be responsible for minor expenses such as small tools or clothing, but generally the contractor working with the apprentices provides everything that you will need.

YES! In fact, training in the skilled construction trades offers earning power that rivals that of a college degree MINUS crippling student loan debt. Being a union tradesperson offers a competitive wage, excellent benefits and a satisfying career.

A recent study showed that a skilled union tradesperson’s lifetime earnings are similar to a 4-year college degree!  

 Union Apprenticeships- The Bachelor Degree of the Construction Industry- ILEPI

“Compared with two- and four-year colleges, joint labor-management apprenticeships in construction offer a more robust training regimen, similar diversity outcomes, competitive wage and benefit levels, and comparable tax revenue for states and local governments, while leaving graduates entirely free of burdensome student loan debt”

Frank Manzo, IV, Executive Director of the Illinois Indiana Economic Policy Institute

With the growing infrastructure needs of our towns and cities in the U.S., training to be a skilled tradesperson will set you on a path to success. The construction trades should be a first path option for many, and not one that has been traditionally thought of as a fall back to college. 

Being a skilled construction trades worker is a “premier career”. Click here to see what program is right for you.

Click on any county to find apprenticeship programs of WV State Building Trades affiliated Unions. Programs of non-affiliated groups are not listed. Some programs cover additional counties in surrounding states.

If you would like further assistance or you would like to compare the offerings across multiple crafts, you can go here.

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