Qualifications for Admittance into the Apprenticeship Program
You must be at least 18 years of age by May 1 in the year you apply. You must be able to read and do arithmetic well enough to progress in class training and understand oral/written instruction. You must be eligible to work in the United States. You must be willing to work outdoors in any type of weather conditions and understand that there will be some traveling to various job sites. Dependable transportation and a telephone, pager, and/or cell phone are necessary. You must submit to a drug test; all indentured apprentices shall be subject to random drug testing as outlined in the Apprenticeship Standards and the negotiated Union Contracts.
When to Apply for Apprenticeship
An application period is held for two weeks during the first part of the year. Applicants must take a series of preliminary tests; the top-scoring candidates proceed to the interview stage. Applicants who score well during the interview phase will enter into a 120-hour pre-apprenticeship orientation which completes the screening process. Applicants who maintain a 70% overall score are then indentured into the program.
Requirements for Becoming an Operating Engineer
Apprentices must meet all requirements of the Apprenticeship Standards prior to becoming a journeyperson. Some of the requirements include: completing four (4) years of apprenticeship training, a minimum of 640 hours of classroom and related instruction, a minimum of 4,000 employment hours (OJT) and successfully passing the written and machine performance tests. Apprentices will receive a starting wage of 50% of that of a journeyperson’s wages for all OJT hours they work. If all requirements are met, this wage will increase 10% each year until graduation.