Check in your telephone book if you live in a major city for the telephone numbers of the unions in your area. Call the offices and ask to speak with the apprenticeship coordinator and ask when they will be accepting applications for new apprentices. They usually accept application once or twice a year. Entry is competitive. Most unions have standardized examinations to evaluate your ability to work with basic math, blueprint reading, ect.
A working background in welding and fabrication will usually be helpful if you are interested in welding. Most unions employ welders, some trades more than others. Ironworkers, pipefitters, boilermakers, piledrivers (carpenters) are usually looking for people with good basic welding skills as apprentices. They will teach you the rest of the trade over the course of their apprenticeship program which can be three to five years in duration.
I served an apprenticeship with the ironworkers. I then worked on my college degree at nights as a journeyman. I never regreted doing it.
Good luck - Al
yeah, i was mostly interested in the local ironworkers union, but i had also recieved a card from a guy trying to recruit new piledrivers. i will call the ironworkers union and get the info on applications, because i figured it was just open anytime to apply, so i was gonna aim to get my application in during summer. do you know if they will credit you for your accomplishments and bump you up in periods? nobody in my shop has ever joined a union, so most of what they tell me is just speculation, one of the things they told me is if you hold a current FCAW cert you will be credited with 1 year, or 3rd period apprenticeship. im definately glad i decided to ask my question here, because i'ved recieved more info than i would have.
You may not get "bumped up", but you will be more "employable" with a certification in your back pocket.
Most field work is selfshielded fluxcore, whereas most shop work is gas shielded fluxcore. You shouldn't have any trouble making the transition.
As an apprentice that was a certified welder, I didn't make as much per hour as the journeymen, but I made as much at the end of the year because of the overtime. If there was an overtime job going, you know the contractor was going to put me on it to save himself a few dollars.
Even as an apprentice, the pay was better than what I was paid in the fab shop I was working in.
Best regards and good luck. - Al
alright, well i just got back into town, and called the apprenticeship coordinator but only got the secretary... i mentioned that i have welding certs, and they repeated to me twice that welding was only a small part of what they did, and that their union was split into four areas. will they teach us all four areas, or can i just go to one? im interested in the structural area. my other question is, you had mentioned that they hire welders, how do i go about letting them know i want to be a structural steel welder. are there such things lik sub-classifications, ie: ironworker/welder? the way it was explained to me, did not settle well, i want to know im going in the right direction.
Its only my opinion, but a broad based education in conjunction with a specialty is the way to go if you are planning a future in our industry. The apprenticeship program in any trade will teach you the basics of the trade, i.e., a general education in that trade. Once you complete the apprenticeship program you can pick the area of specialization. If you want to concentrate on welding, whether it is as an ironworker, boilermaker, pipefitter, etc. that will be your decission to make. However, there will be times when there won't be work for a welder, but if you can work at some other aspect of the trade, it will put food on the table and pay the morgage until something you like better comes along.
I took a 40% cut in pay to join the ironworker apprenticeship program in 1970. Many of the gentlemen working "permit" told me I was crazy. There was plenty of work for anyone that wanted to work. Four years later, a new president in D.C., and the economy hit rock bottom. Guess who got laid off first? Those folks that that didn't have a good working knowledge of all aspects of the trade.
I was a welder before I joined the apprenticeship, but the training I got made me a better welder. I kept a couple of thoughts in mind, any day spent on a job that I didn't learn something new from the journeymen was a day wasted. If I didn't learn something new it was my fault for not paying attention. Always learn something new so that you'll be prepared for your next job.
Good luck - Al
Hey shooterfpga-bphinson here writing from Houston, TX. I think I can shead some light on this topic of conversation. I just recently joined the ironworkers local 84 here in Houston, TX, as an ironworker apprentice. I am completely "green" and just started the apprenticeship classes and on the job training to learn the trade. I am also enrolled at my local community college's welding certificate program for the pipe specialization certificate. This is how the apprenticeship coordinator broke it down for me and the others in the interview. Apprentices' go to school to learn the trade and practice the trade as on the job training under the direction and supervision of a journeyman ironworker and earn a percentage (like 65%) of the journeyman's negotiated wage for that particular job bid as negotiated between the union and employer/contractor. It matters little if I am already a certified welder with certification(s). The programs major emphasis is to teach you the fundamentals and major pillars of the trade, and welding is a small, but considerable aspect of the ironworking trade. One really gets into the welding portion during the second year of the apprenticeship. Also, they have started this National Welder Certification Program which qualifies the ironworker as a certified/qualified welder and it is recognized nationally on jobs in which the union has a bid, therefore eliminating a craft test on each and every jobsite. Basically as an apprentice one will be ironworking primarily and welding somewhat. Things begin to really open up once you reach journeyman status. You can funtion independently as an ironworker, certified welder, rigger, or a combo of these. From an employer's standpoint, you are more marketable when you have a broad range of skills/skillset within a trade(s) (i.e. I can do a,b,c,d as opposed to saying I can only do skill a). If a job needs 200 ironworkers and 200 welders, you can hire on doing either one. The union provides a voice for fair working conditions and a fair predetermined negotiated wage. It is hard work but it is very rewarding. I myself wanted to enter the construction industry asap, and the union got my "foot in the door". It is very hard as an entry level welder straight out of any program to land a "primo" job. You have the experience factor working against you, and it takes TIME to gain that real-world experience...then... you can land that primo combo welder job working 7x12's chasing shutdowns/turnarounds. Hope this little tidbit helps. Consider all your options in your decisions. And LISTEN carefully to the advice of the veteran welders on this forum. It is extremely valuable. They have been there, done that, and already got the t-shirt!
I've been a member of Plumbers and Steamfitters for almost 30 years now. They're all a little bit different. It is my opinion that experience will tend to get their attention. They always want quality people, and they get governement money for an apprentice head count. However, in general, family comes first. A CWI recommendation probably doesn't mean much, unless the CWI knows someone in the Local you're applying to. A member recommendation will mean much more. And yes, an apprentice is a Union member, though often voting rights are limited.
If welding on a variety of alloys and welding processes is your ambition then the Pipefitter Union is the way to go. Also, to really see dramatic improvement in your welding skill, the shop environment is preferrable. In shops you don't spend so much time moving from weld to weld and dragging leads around, climbing scaffolds and piperacks, etc.
Vegas needs apprentices and people in general in ALL trade disciplines. . . .nice bucks there too!!!! Just stay out of the casino's once you get it. Any questions about the Pipefitters union there or anywhere shoot me an email and I'll be happy to tell you as much as I know. I've been a Welder/Fitter for 20 years and have been union a good portion of that.
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