APPLYING
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No — entry-level apprentices start at $28.21 an hour with no experience needed. We teach the trade from your first week, on the job and in the classroom, while you earn union wages. What we look for is reliability and the drive to build a career. You can get class credits and pay increases if you have the right experience.
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Apply in person at our training center (5032 SE 26th Ave, Portland, OR 97202), then complete a friendly interview, a drug screening, and a half-day orientation — and you're dispatched to a union contractor. No application fee, and normally no waiting list. The full step-by-step is on Become an Apprentice.
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Yes. A legal history will not stop you from becoming an apprentice or getting work here. The trade has long been a strong path for people building a fresh start — what matters is showing up and doing the work. Come talk to us.
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Yes — no degree needed and no student loans either. You need a high-school diploma (or equivalent), a GED, or an NCRC Bronze certificate. You'll graduate with a journeyman's card, college credit for your coursework, and zero education debt.
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Absolutely. There's no upper age limit — many of our best apprentices started in their 30s and 40s after other jobs. If you're ready to work and want a career with a future, you belong here.
PAY & WORK
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Yes — Apprentices earn $28.21 an hour from day one, with raises on a written schedule up to journeyman scale of $47.01. The apprenticeship is a paid job with training built in. See the full picture on Pay & Benefits.
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Apprentices start at $28.21 an hour (about 60% of scale) and rise step by step to journeyman scale of $47.01, with medical coverage and two pensions under the union contract. Every figure is published on our Pay & Benefits page.
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Summers run full: 40–60 hour weeks from mid-April through October. Winters ease to 20–35 hours — which is when classes run, so the quiet season builds your skills. Out-of-town work is only by agreement.
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There are no tuition loans and no application fee. Your education is covered by a $20 fee for each week you work (about $500 a year, $2,000 total), plus union initiation and $25/mo dues. You buy your own work tools; classroom materials are provided.
THE PROGRAM
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An apprenticeship is a paid job where training is part of the deal: you work for a real employer, earn wages from day one, and complete classroom instruction on top — graduating into full journeyman status in four years, with no student debt.
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Four years — paid the whole way. You'll complete 600 hours of related training (four one-week classes a year, October–May, you pick the weeks) and advance through wage periods from $28.21 to $47.01 an hour.
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You'll have instructors and mentors in your corner — the program is built to help you succeed, not to weed you out. Most apprentices find hands-on learning clicks in a way school never did.
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The program flexes with life. You can place your apprenticeship on hold and return when ready, and if you move, your status and coursework transfer to programs in other states — you never start over.
LOCATION & CURRENT STUDENTS
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If you're in Oregon or Southwest Washington, yes: the program covers most of Oregon plus Clark and Skamania counties in Washington. Training happens at our Portland training center (5032 SE 26th Ave, Portland, OR 97202), and apprentices work for union shops across the region.
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In the Student Portal — class registration, schedules, and progress reports all live there. The year's schedule is also posted on our Classes page for quick reference.
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