Celebrating a Century of Union Apprenticeship Programs

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Although the practice of learning a trade by working alongside a master craftsman has been around for centuries, modern registered apprenticeships have only been recognized in the United States for 100 years. U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis brought together industry and union leaders on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., June 6 to help celebrate a century of registered apprenticeship programs. “The electrical apprenticeship program is the reason I’m here in front of you today,” said participant Kevin Burton, an instructor with Washington, D.C., IBEW Local 26’s Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee. “It provided me a skill set that has given me a first-class ticket to middle-class America.” “Joint apprenticeship is one of America’s best kept secrets,” said U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. Mark Ayers, president of the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO, told the crowd that of today’s approximately 470,000 apprentices in the United States, 75 percent are in the construction field. Of those, 70 percent are enrolled in a union-sponsored trai ning program, making union apprenticeships vital to growing the supply of skilled labor.
- Union Communication Services; photo courtesy IBEW