As National Apprenticeship Week comes to a close, we are thrilled to share this informative podcast from TDA: On the Go featuring our very own, Jessica Benson.
Jessica is a third-year carpenter’s apprentice working for Zenith Tech and she, along with Andrew Disch, Wisconsin Political Director for the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters, discuss the many benefits apprenticeship offers.
Here are some important takeaways:
- Apprenticeship training, which is 80% on-the-job and 20% classroom, is completely free
- A career in the trades offers good wages with growth potential and apprentices are eligible for benefits and pension
- Apprentices begin on day one receiving 60% of the journey-level wage with opportunities to earn pay increases as benchmarks are met throughout the apprenticeship
- Credits are earned through the participation of the 4-year apprenticeship and can be transferred to a technical school to further education
- An apprenticeship can begin at any time. The average age of a Carpenters Union apprentice is 26 years old. For many, this is not the first career choice.
As Jessica emphasizes during the podcast, the trades are an excellent career path. Jessica is a college graduate but wasn’t happy with where she was at post-graduation and when this opportunity was introduced to her by our HR Outreach Manager, she took it.
Jessica gets great satisfaction in seeing what she has helped build, especially when driving through her hometown. She loves the versatility of the work she does, the fact that no two days are the same, and she is always learning.
The structure of the apprenticeship program has helped her to take the classroom instruction and apply it immediately in the field. Her Concrete Forms class has been especially valuable in her work at Zenith Tech.
At Walbec, we’re proud to support apprenticeship programs and place a priority on engaging within our community and educational institutions to continue to get the word out about the opportunities within the trades and the ability to build a great career while earning a family-sustaining income.
We congratulate Jessica on her hard work throughout this program and we thank her for sharing her story so that others can learn more!
You can listen to the entire podcast episode here:
