Education and training

Apprenticeship and job training programs

Want to pick up new skills, learn a trade and be paid to do it? If so, you may want to consider an apprenticeship program. 

Not only do the trades often offer second chance employment, but employers report they have great difficulty filling skilled trades positions. In fact, a reported 91% of those completing an apprenticeship gain employment. And the pay is good – starting salaries average $70,000 per year.

Finding an apprenticeship program

Hundreds of trades offer apprenticeship programs. These could be anything from carpenters and boilermakers to meat cutters and avionic mechanics.

Once you decide what type of trade you might be interested in, contact your local American Job Center or a specific union office or training center in your area for the details on what to do next.
Another way to find an apprenticeship program is to visit apprenticeship.gov managed by the U.S. Dept. of Labor. This website serves as a clearinghouse for information on apprenticeships. One of its most useful features, an Apprenticeship Finder, is searchable by occupation, company name or keywords and/or Zip Code, city or state. This database includes thousands of apprenticeship opportunities nationwide and in U.S. territories.