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The Apprenticeship AdvantageSkilled trades can offer rewarding career paths, and the future is brighter because of the Greater Cincinnati Apprenticeship Council (GCAC). GCAC is an organization of union building-trade apprenticeships programs. It offers students a broad range of opportunities to learn a skilled trade both at work and in the classroom, and, from the start, to earn significantly more than minimum wage.
To ensure that apprentices are properly trained, both federal and state governments establish rules that supervise trainees' progress. Each apprenticeship program must adhere to regulations and standards that are registered with the Ohio Apprenticeship Council. The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training (BAT) assists in the creation and administration of the standards. Hands-on and classroom training is provided by each program at its own facility. About 200 area businesses employ GCAC apprentices. Teacher involvement is key. "We need teachers to impress upon students that, for example, geometry is not just measuring angles on a piece of paper; it has an application to work," said Harry Roedersheimer of the Greater Cincinnati AFL/CIO Labor Council. "Take construction work -- cut, fit and mitering must be precise." The length of the apprenticeship program ranges from three to five years, depending on the chosen trade. GCAC offers 20 building-trade union apprenticeship programs: Asbestos Worker; Boilermaker; Bricklayer; Carpenter; Cement Mason; Composition Roofer; Electrician; Glazier; Laborer; Mechanical Equipment Serviceperson; Millwright; Operating Engineer; Painter; Pipe Fitter; Plasterer; Plumber; Reinforced Concrete Iron Worker; Sheet Metal Worker; Structural Iron Worker; and Tile, Marble & Terrazzo Worker. "Every apprentice has signed an agreement with BAT that entitles him or her to automatic hourly increases for successful progression through the program," said Dick Ayres, chairman of GCAC and training director for Pipe Fitters Local 392. "Good attendance at work and school is absolutely necessary, and grades must be above average. All requirements are spelled out up front because they are collectively bargained by local unions, contractors and labor associations." At the completion of the program, an apprentice becomes a journeyperson, fully qualified to perform the work of the trade and earn full pay for his or her skill. "After three to five years of working full-time during the day and attending school two or three nights a week, upon successful completion of the program, the fully trained journeyperson can earn up to $50,000 a year, depending on the trade," said Roedersheimer. In April, the GCAC joined with the Cincinnati AFL-CIO and Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development to create a partnership with business, industry, labor and education organizations to help middle school and high school students enter the apprenticeship program. It's called the Construction Trades Vocational Education Partnership and is funded by an Ohio School-To-Work grant. Students in the following school districts will be served this year by the program::
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