Building Trades’ Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship and the Building and Construction Trades

In the building and construction trades, apprenticeship programs combine on-the-job training (OJT) with classroom instruction to train individuals to become skilled craftspeople. An apprentice is paid to work in the field on construction sites, where OJT is provided and supervised by trades’ professionals. OJT is supplemented with classroom training provided by the individual trade unions at either local or regional facilities. In Rhode Island, these apprenticeship programs range from 3-5 years. After completing all the requirements, the apprentice becomes a journey-level craftsperson.

At a local level, each apprenticeship program is administered by Joint Apprenticeship Training Committees (JATCs), made up of equal numbers of employer and employee representatives in the specific trade or craft. Apprenticeship programs and their standards are developed by the training committees and then approved by the Rhode Island State Apprenticeship Council. The entire apprenticeship system is overseen by the RI. Department of Labor and Training’s Division of Professional Regulation and the Federal Office of Apprenticeship.

Interested in the on the job training? Check out the Sheet Metal Workers Training Center below!

Sheet Metal Workers Local Union #17 Training Center Photo Gallery

Individual employers or employer associations can also sponsor apprenticeship programs. According to the US Department of Labor, in Rhode Island there are currently 854 apprenticeship sponsors in 37 occupations.

Building Futures and Apprenticeship Programs

Building Futures has relationships with all of the apprenticeship programs associated with the Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades Council.

Large scale construction involves many different skilled trades that come together to complete a project, whether it is a commercial high-rise building, roads and bridges or public institutions. We partner with the highest quality apprenticeship programs in the building and construction trades to find opportunities for our graduates.

Our graduates to date have entered many different apprenticeship programs in the building trades occupations, such as: bricklayer, carpenter, electrician, glazier, ironworker, insulator, laborer, plumber, pipefitter, sheet-metal worker, and tile setter.

There are many other apprenticeship programs available in the building trades, to learn more about what each occupational craft does, we encourage you to visit the State and Federal websites on apprenticeship, or attend a Building Futures’ Program Orientation to learn if apprenticeship is the right path for you.