Apprentice Resources
What Is Apprenticeship?
Apprenticeship is a time-honored approach to training skilled workers through a combination of on-the-job training and classroom instruction. Apprentices are paid employees who produce high quality work while they receive instruction to provide them with skillsets that meet the specific needs of their employers. An apprentice operates under the close supervision of a skilled tradesperson on the job and attends related classroom instruction, with a combination of day and evening classes. All apprenticeship curriculum is approved by the New York State Department of Labor. A graduated pay scale assures that salary reflects the degree of skill achieved. Upon completion, an apprentice is issued a nationally recognized Certificate of Completion and considered a Journey Level Tradesperson.
Apprentice Upgrading Procedures
In order for an apprentice to advance to the next level of apprenticeship, the following requirements must be met:
- 1,300 work hours
- Anniversary of the apprentice’s Indenture Date
- Two (2) complete classes
Note: A Complete class can consist of 2 or 3 weeks of training (i.e., Concrete Forms Part 1 (1 week) and part 2 (1 week), equal one (1) complete class. New Apprentice Training (1 week), 32 Hour Scaffold (1 week), and Introduction to Carpentry Principles (1 week), equal one (1) complete class.
All 3 must be completed in order to advance. Please see chart below.
Upgrading to an Advanced Apprenticeship Status
Apprentices with extensive craft experience who wish to apply for advanced apprenticeship status (upgrade) must:
- Be in good standing as an apprentice- no Academic or Attendance extensions.
- Present a letter from their employer stating that the apprentice is currently employed by the employer, and that the employer recommends the apprentice be upgraded.
- Present six ( 6) full weeks of current pay stubs showing that the employer has been paying the apprentice the wage rate paid to employees of the upgraded level (the letter and pay stubs must be from the same employer).
- Present a letter from their local union business representative on the local union letterhead accepting the upgrade.
After proper documentation is provided, the CTC Director will decide whether to approve the upgrade. If an apprentice is upgraded prior to graduating from the CTC, he or she must successfully complete practical examinations in the skill craft areas that the apprentice skipped. The apprentice must schedule practical examinations in advance with the CTC’s Assistant Director of Training.
Upgrading to Journey Level Status
Apprentices with extensive craft experience who wish to upgrade to Journey Level status must:
- Be in good standing as an apprentice- no Academic or Attendance extensions.
- Present a letter from their employer stating that the apprentice is currently employed by them, and that the employer recommends the apprentice be upgraded.
- Present six ( 6) full weeks of current pay stubs showing that the employer has been paying the apprentice the wage rate paid to employees of the upgraded level (the letter and pay stubs must be from the same employer).
- Present a letter from their local union business representative on the local union letterhead accepting the upgrade.
After proper documentation is provided, the CTC Director will decide whether or not to approve the upgrade.
Exceptions
If an apprentice receives a six (6) month extension, whether Academic, Medical, Personal, Military Leave, or College Full Time, his/her apprentice advancement date will be pushed back six (6) months. For example, if an apprentice receives two (2) extensions, his/her apprentice advancement date will be pushed back one (1) year.
If an apprentice does not have sufficient work hours as of his/her advancement date, he/she must complete the work hours required in order to advance to the next level.
If an apprentice does not have enough complete classes as of his/her advancement date, he/she must complete the classes required in order to advance to the next level.
NOTE
IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE APPRENTICE TO CONTACT THE CARPENTERS TRAINING CENTER ABOUT THEIR UPGRADE AND TO NOTIFY THEIR EMPLOYER THAT HE/SHE HAS BEEN UPGRADED. THE CARPENTERS TRAINING CENTER WILL NOT MAIL, FAX OR EMAIL UPGRADE LETTERS TO A CONTRACTOR. UPGRADE LETTERS WILL ONLY BE ISSUED TO THE APPRENTICE.
Apprentice Curriculum
Pre-Apprentice Resources
Important Information:
Extensions
An “Extension” occurs when an apprentice receives no credit for the current training course. The term of apprenticeship will be extended by six (6) months resulting in a delay of the apprentice pay increase and 6 months additional training time.
Academic/Disciplinary Extension
Apprentices will incur an “Academic Extension”, in the following instances:
- Monday absence.
- Absent two (2) or more days in a week of related instruction.
- Absent any day in a class at the end of a semester requiring 100% attendance.
- Failing to make-up a class within two training weeks of the absence.
- If the week of training results in a failing grade.
- Miss a mandatory evening class.
All apprentices will be allowed only two (2) extensions for academic or disciplinary reasons and are given the opportunity to sign a “104 Compliance Letter” only once during the full term of their apprenticeship. Therefore, attending classes and making up any and all absences are critical to the completion of the program.
Personal Leave of Absence Extension
An apprentice may request one (1) personal leave of absence from the Director of Training in writing, prior to the start of training for that semester. The personal leave of absence will be granted for a full semester resulting in six (6) months of additional training time. Personal Leave of Absence forms are available at the Main Office of the CTC.
Military Leave Extension
Apprentices called for military duty are responsible for notifying the Carpenters Training Center of their leave date. Upon return, the apprentice must notify the CTC and be scheduled for classes. Regardless of the length of deployment, the apprentice is required to complete all of the required Related Instruction and On the Job Training.
Medical Extension
An apprentice may take a leave of absence from the apprenticeship training program due to his/her medical condition. Medical leave is granted only by the semester. If the medical issue extends longer than one semester, the apprentice must request a medical leave for each and every semester that the apprentice will not be attending classes. The apprentice’s name will
also be removed from the Out-of-Work List (OWL) while on Medical Leave. Failure to request a medical leave or continuation of a medical leave may result in terms nation. ONLY ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
College Full Time Extension
Apprentices who attend an Academic Institution on a full time schedule during the day are responsible for notifying the Carpenters Training Center prior to the start of the semester. The apprentice must provide the CTC with a PAID Bursar’s receipt and a copy of his/her schedule for the current semester. The apprentice must provide the CTC with this documentation for every semester that he/she will be attending college full time.
Appeals of Decisions
Should an apprentice wish to appeal decisions of the CTC’s Director, the apprentice may appeal in writing to the JATC. Appeals will only be considered if they are received within six (6) months of the date of termination. Any appeals received after six (6) months will not be considered. The JATC meets at least quarterly. The appeal will be presented at the next regularly scheduled meeting following receipt of the appeal provided that the appeal is received at least 15 days in advance of the next regularly scheduled meeting. Letters of appeal should be sent to:
JATC Committee
C/0 the New York City District Council of Carpenters
Training Center
395 Hudson Street, Second Floor
New York, NY 10014
Please note that apprentices or transfer students who are terminated within their twelve (12) month probation period are not eligible to appeal to the JATC. Probation period terminations are FINAL. NO APPEAL POSSIBLE.
Attendance and Lateness Policy
Attendance at all scheduled LTC training classes is mandatory. Like any job, apprentices are expected to report to their scheduled classes on time and ready to work. Apprentices who report late will not be allowed in class and will be asked to leave the LTC premises and will be marked absent for the day.
It is the responsibility of every apprentice to be aware of the start date of each semester. If an apprentice is not notified by the Training Center of a scheduled class, it is the APPRENTICE’S responsibility to contact the Training Center to schedule his/her required class.
Please be advised that some classes will end just prior to the end of a scheduled semester. Classes scheduled at or near the end of the semester will have no make-up dates and require 100% attendance.
Except where noted in this Handbook, apprentices who miss one day of training during a scheduled classroom training week (excluding Monday) must make up that day’s training.
Class Reschedule Policy
Once scheduled, apprentices may only reschedule classroom training in cases of extreme hardship and at the sole discretion of the LTC’s Director. The LTC will only consider rescheduling classroom training for apprentices who are unable to participate because of illness, injury, death in family, or other compelling personal reasons, and who present appropriate documentation of their inability to participate prior to the start of their class. If the LTC agrees to reschedule classroom training, we will attempt to reschedule the training during the same semester.If not possible, the apprentice will be rescheduled for the next semester and the apprentice’s courses may be doubled up resulting in the apprentice staying in the original apprentice term. Should the apprentice not complete the required courses in the next semester, the apprentice’s term will be extended by six (6) months and the record will reflect an “Extension”.
Class Makeup Policy
If an apprentice misses a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or a Friday, he/she must make up the class on the same day of the week missed within the following two weeks of training. If the class is not made up within the following two training weeks, the apprentice will get an “Extension” and be required to repeat the week(s) of training.
*Important: An apprentice must make-up the class within two(2) weeks of scheduled training. However, Monday’s class may not be missed or made up.
