CAREERS NOW 01-25-09

Take a New Look At Apprenticeship

DEAR JOYCE: My son is an average student at school, but is very smart and has a great deal of common sense. As college student loans become less available, one of his teachers mentioned apprenticeship as a doorway to a good career. Do those things still exist? And if they do, what is your opinion of them? - H.M.

Apprenticeships are alive and well- some 28,000 registered apprenticeship programs across the nation enrolled more than 468,000 apprentices, according to 2007 figures, the latest available.

UPDATED MODELS. Apprenticeships are getting a new look, as well as surviving as a learning mode. Their new look recognizes that industry training requirements vary and change with the times and technology. A single example: The criterion for completion of a federally registered program has moved from a rigid time-based learning program requiring 2,000 hours of work experience, to three pathways: competency-based, time-based and a hybrid approach. (Visit the federal Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training online at www.doleta.gov/atels_bat and click on What's New! This site also links to Career Voyages, a government site that helps people explore career options for high-growth jobs with better pay and a brighter future, and to a database of apprenticeship opportunities by state.)

LEARN & EARN. Being an apprentice means you are enrolled in a formally structured program that includes classroom instruction combined with paid hands-on-work, placing you on a pathway to comprehensive knowledge of a particular occupation. Today's apprentice has more than 850 different occupations from which to choose.

Caveat: Often the title "apprentice" is used casually when the correct term should be "trainee." Don't be fooled.

Formal apprenticeship programs are registered by state apprenticeship agencies (www.doleta.gov/OA/stateagencies.cfm) as well as the federal Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training.

UNION OR NOT? If you live in a state or area without a strong union presence, you'll find more apprenticeship openings without a union card. But the opposite is true in states and locales where organized labor is established. Union jobs generally pay more and provide more generous benefits.

YOUR EMPLOYER. Even in union apprenticeships, apprentices are hired by employers, not by labor unions. But some apprenticeship programs are operated by employers and labor unions in partnership even though it's the employer partner who signs paychecks.

Some educational programs, such as those offered by the military services, have apprenticeship links as well.

BEST APPRENTICE JOBS. "You don't have to shell out tens of thousands of dollars in college tuition or endure basic training in a distant boot camp to get entry into your career," advises Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., co-author of the recently released book, "200 Best Jobs Through Apprenticeships, Second Edition" (jist.com). At the top of Dr. Shatkin's list:

-- Paralegals and legal assistants, $44,990 annual earnings

-- Computer support specialists, $42,400

-- Construction and building inspectors, $48,330

-- Radiologic technologists, $50,260

-- Police patrol officers, $49,630

-- Correctional officers and jailers, $36,970

-- Licensed practical and vocational nurses, $37,940

-- Pipefitters and steamfitters, $44,090

-- Plumbers, $44,090

-- Surgical technologists, $37,540

WHAT TOMORROW HOLDS. Formal apprenticeships are terrific choices for big numbers of people, especially for those who choose occupations that can't be offshored to cheap-labor nations. They're also attractive to adults with family responsibilities, who can't afford to pay for a second round of college tuitions but can survive on reduced earnings while completing the apprenticeship.

In the past, popular apprentice occupations included bricklayer, carpenter, cook, electrician, firefighter, machinist, operating engineer, plumber, power plant operator, telecommunications technician, and tool and die maker.

Expect new faces in the apprenticeship family as thought leaders such as General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt question the continuance of the nation's "service economy" and say the time has come to make things again in this country. Especially things that bring about a green- energy infrastructure.

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