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JUNE 2004
The "other 4-year
degree" a good option
by Rick S. Bender, President of
the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Thousands
of seniors will be graduating from high school this month without any plan
for their future. Nearly half will
go on to community or four-year colleges. But,
if they don’t intend to go to college, there’s another option that I
suggest offers wonderful opportunities.
It’s apprenticeship -- what we call, the “other four-year degree." Apprenticeship is an earn-while-you-learn program, with starting hourly wages around $11, and they have good medical benefits.
Currently, more than 13,000 apprentices are registered in our state, equaling the enrollment of a fair-sized college. Our state has more than 300 occupations with apprenticeship standards, but the largest single group work in the unionized building and construction trades.
The most successful programs, those that graduate and place the most apprentices, are jointly funded by employers and unions. It’s amazing to consider that all this job training is done with virtually no government funding. But government does have an important role to play. By adopting apprenticeship “set-asides” for public works projects, government encourages successful workforce and economic development.
Major public works projects in the state now include a minimum of 15 percent apprentices on the job. This expands opportunities for training and promotes the development of a highly skilled workforce. Apprenticeship Utilization Requirement policies have already been adopted by several local cities and counties including Cowlitz County, Chelan County, and the cities of Everett and Hoquiam. Apprenticeship set-asides have also been endorsed by the Douglas County Commissioners and the Longview School District, to name a few.
The private sector also finds apprenticeship utilization policies cost effective. Since 1997, eight different private developers have voluntarily signed on to these policies for their own projects. One of the biggest success stories was the on-time, under-budget Seahawks Football Stadium project where apprentices made up more than 20 percent of the work, including a high percentage of female and minority apprentices. Another large project in Yakima also easily exceeded the 15 percent goal.
All kinds of information on apprenticeships -- from automotive machinists to sprinkler fitters can be found online at www.lni.wa.gov/tradeslicensing/apprenticeship/become/ or at http://apprenticeship.wa.gov. But students should be wary of so-called training apprenticeships that are not registered with the state of Washington because they are usually a scheme to provide low-wage workers with low quality training and supervision.
Enrollments of new apprentices open when there are jobs available. With the economy finally coming to life, new openings should be available this year. When work is slow, apprenticeship programs will put applicants on a waiting list.
When apprentices graduate they become journey-level skilled workers who have a lifetime career. Once they earn their “card”, a union journey-level worker can practice their trade anywhere in the country and earn a good wage with decent benefits. Average earnings for experienced journey-level work ranges from $45,000 to $80,000 a year.
That’s why the earn-while-you-learn system of apprenticeship makes such good sense for so many young adults. This spring, as thousands of new high school graduates look towards the future, I hope they will consider a future that includes the “other four-year degree."
Rick Bender is President of the
Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO,
the largest labor organization in the state.
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Copyright © 2004 Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO