4
Introduction
Are you looking for a career instead of a minimum-wage job?
Are you considering a career in construction? Then you have
come to the right place.
We need trained professionals to build structures like our
homes, oces, high-rises, roads and bridges. These projects
are essential to our everyday life and need hundreds
of workers trained in more than 20 dierent building
trades. Building trades (also called crafts) include laborers,
ironworkers, cement masons, carpenters, heavy equipment
operators, plumbers, sheet metal workers, painters and many
more. This book will help you get started down the pathway to
become one of these skilled professionals with a high-paying
career in the building trades.
You do not need construction skills to get started; the
professionals will teach you what you need to know. But
there are some things you will need right from the
start to succeed:
Work ethic:
Be open to learn, love hard work
and strive to be your best.
Reliable: Show up and work hard every single
day, no matter what.
Early: Always be on-site a half-hour early
to prepare for work.
Learn: Listen, pay attention, ask questions and
follow directions.
Hands-on: Learn by doing, solving problems
and overcoming challenges.
Physical: Ready for hard work, heights and
cold, wet weather.
Drug-free: Construction sites can be dangerous.
Everyone must be alert.
Safety: Pay attention. Wear safety gear at
all times. Speak up.
If you need English language classes to help prepare you
for training, see the English Language Classes section of the
book.
Pre-Apprenticeship
Pre-apprenticeships are hands-on training programs that help
prepare people for entry and success in the building trades.
These programs provide construction training and education,
and help with driver’s licensing, transportation, child care,
budgeting, getting a high school diploma/GED, etc. The best
part is if you show up and bring your best every day, they will
help you get into a paid apprenticeship program. Check out
the orange section of this book to find a pre-apprenticeship
program near you.
If you already have your high school diploma/GED, driver’s
license and a proven work ethic, you can apply directly to
an apprenticeship in the building trade of your choice.
Apprenticeship
Once you are in an apprenticeship training program, you are
working on a construction site, learning your trade from skilled
professionals and getting paid. You EARN while you LEARN.
It takes about four years for apprentices to become
experienced journey-level workers. They reach journey level
by learning from experienced workers on the job site and
taking classes. Apprentices get regular pay raises along the
way, plus benefits and retirement.
You do not need past experience, a clean record or a
college degree. You just need to apply and try out for the
apprenticeship program that interests you most in the green
section of this book. These training programs need people
of color, women, veterans and residents of economically
distressed ZIP codes in Seattle and King County.
A career in the building trades is important, fast-paced work
that is physically and mentally challenging. At the end of each
day, you will be very proud of what you have learned and what
you have built. Most importantly, you will be able to support
yourself and your family for a lifetime.
Experienced Workers
Candidates with five or more years of experience in a specific
trade should contact the union hall directly:
www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/FAS/
PurchasingAndContracting/Labor/SBCTC-Aliates.pdf.