The Construction Craft Laborer Apprenticeship Program is an opportunity for individuals to earn wages while participating in training classes for skills training and development. This registered apprenticeship program is approved by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, State Apprenticeship Council to provide the participating apprentices, their employers and sponsors with a standard of treatment, quality and equal opportunity, to assure value with meaningful outcomes, at the end of the experience, when graduation is achieved and a credential from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is awarded. The instructors presenting the training classes are certified through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as Construction Craft Instructors with LIUNA Training and Education Fund.
Eligibility Requirements – Construction Craft Laborer Apprenticeship Program
- Applicants are required to complete an application at the Laborers Local Union facility that they want to work from (Building Trades or Heavy and Highway), and they must present a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license and reside in the 29 county jurisdiction of the Eastern Pennsylvania District Council.
- Applicants must be at least 17 years of age to apply, and 18 years of age to work at a construction site.
- Applicants are required to successfully complete a knowledge test.
Screening and Selection:
- Applicants who meet the eligibility requirements based on the successful completion of the knowledge test will be placed on a list.
- Applicants placed on the list will be required to successfully complete a pre-commencement strength test.
- Applicants selected off of the successful completion of the knowledge and pre-commencement strength tests will be required to complete one week of orientation training prior to work commencement.
Term Apprenticeship:
The apprenticeship program…….
- minimum of 4000 verified work hours of on-the-job training from participating employers, and…
- a minimum of 312 hours of related classroom instruction in technical and theoretical subjects to supplement and reinforce on-the-job training.
Apprentices shall be subject to a 1,000 work hours probationary period.
LIUNA Training of Eastern Pennsylvania as well as the Apprenticeship Committee will not discriminate against apprenticeship applicants or apprentices based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), sexual orientation, genetic information, or because they are an individual with a disability or a person 40 years old or older and will take affirmative action to provide equal opportunity in apprenticeship and will operate the apprenticeship program as required under Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 30.
The Training Program:
The classroom training for the Apprenticeship Program is conducted during the week, one week of training every calendar quarter is scheduled at each training location, there are a total of eight training weeks to complete the classroom portion of the program, usually within a two-year period. Training topics covered in the Training Program include:
Core Course Topics
Craft Orientation
OSHA Construction 10-hour outreach class
Hazard Communications
Penn Dot Flagger and Traffic Control
Print Reading and Project Specifications
Red Cross Adult First Aid, CPR and AED
Hoisting, Rigging and Signaling Certification
Construction Line and Grade
General Construction Skills
Aerial Work Platforms Certification
Concrete Placement and Finishing
Elective Course Topics
Rod Tying (concrete reinforcement)
Natural Gas Distribution
Pipe Line Transmission Technology
Scaffold Builder Certification
Rough Terrain Fork Lift Certification
Powered Hand Truck Certification
Apprentice Wages
Apprentices will be paid in accordance with the following wage progression increases.
The range of Laborers Journey Worker wages in 2022 is $23.01 to $30.63 per hour. This depends on locality and skill task category.
Fringe benefits packages are in addition to the wages, and include health care, pension, training and in some Local Unions, an annuity plan.
Learned Skills In the Program:
General Skills
- Clearing, bucking and falling of timber.
- Transportation, dismantling and stockpiling of scaffold and elevated work platforms.
- Grading and compaction of excavated materials.
- layout and survey staking protocols.
- Rigging and signaling for work traditionally performed by Construction Craft Laborers.
- Site preparation, clean up and security.
- Tool, equipment and material recognition and maintenance.
- Hand and power tool recognition and use.
- Tool, equipment and material storage and security.
- Confined space safety
- Flagging, signing and traffic safety awareness.
- Trenching and site excavation safety.
- Effective communications and performing the foreman’s instructions correctly.
Specific skills
- Environmental remediation techniques for abating lead, asbestos and hazardous waste.
- Building construction techniques using concrete, landscaping, mason tending and pipe laying.
- Heavy and Highway construction techniques using asphalt, drilling and blasting, operating and maintaining mechanized equipment, manual demolition of structures and cutting torch use.
