A Career In The Construction Trades Can Change Your Life!
What is a ‘Union’? What is an ‘Apprenticeship’?
Why construction?
The demand for skilled workers has been increasingly steady, even during times of economic decline. When people hear the term ‘construction’, they typically think of working with wood, using a saw, hammer, nails, etc. building things. But ‘construction’ applies to all trades, with the definition being “any development, extension, installation, repair, maintenance, renewal, removal, renovation, alteration, dismantling or demolition of a fixed structure”.
There has been a nation-wide shortage of workers in the construction fields. In the 80’s-90’s, there was a big shove toward getting high school students to graduate and go to college. Now that we have an overload of people with degrees, we are short plumbers, electricians, brick-layers, painters, etc., all of which are much needed and essential. Today, we are seeing around the world more emphasis on promoting trades in some field of construction.
Not all people are ‘college material’. There is also the sad fact that a lot of graduates end up with some amount of student loan debt even before they begin working in their field. So if a person does not want to attend college and prefer to work in the construction trade, there is the option of getting into a ‘union’.
A union is an organization of trades specific to its name. Some examples include: Painters, Electricians, Carpenters, Roofers, Iron-workers, Sprinkler Fitters, Equipment Operator, Bricklayers, Elevator and more!
People who join a union enjoy higher wages than non-union occupations of the same trade, through wages and benefits. Statistics show that union pay was reported 28% higher than their non-union counterparts. Unions set the ‘prevailing rate’ which means the basic hourly rate paid on public works projects to a majority of workers engaged in a particular craft, classification or type of work within the locality and in the nearest labor market area
There are numerous other benefits available to you through a career in a union – and they all begin with an APPRENTICESHIP working their way to JOURNEYMAN.
An apprenticeship is a job in which the worker is paid to learn a set of skills through on-the-job training, an earn-while-you-learn model and leads to a nationally recognized credential that you recipients can take anywhere in the country!
An apprenticeship is almost entirely FREE and there is no education-related debt once completed, unlike colleges and universities!
Apprenticeship is a mixture of classroom instruction and hands-on training, all paid while you learn and work, beginning pay with DAY ONE!
An apprenticeship typically lasts 4-5 years which may seem like a long time, but remember – you are working while you earn a living!
Unions are required by law to hire a certain number of ‘minorities’ (Native American, women, etc.).
If you are interested in getting into the field of construction with a goal of getting into a union or into private sector, contact your local TERC office. Once you are approved, someone will work with you on your career goal!
Allegany Office:
716.945.8120
Patti Brisley (ages 14 – 24 y.o.)
Pamela Bowen (ages 25 y.o. + up)
Cattaraugus Office:
716.532.1033
Patrice John (ages 14 – 24 y.o.)
Curtis Archer (ages 25 y.o. + up)
