Earn While You Learn

Apprenticeship is career education combining extensive on-the-job training and related classroom instruction. Apprenticeship usually lasts four years. During this time, the apprentice works under the supervision and guidance of a skilled craftsperson.

Apprentices are full time employees and earn a wage while in training. An apprentice’s pay generally starts at about 50 percent of the experienced craftsperson and increases throughout the apprenticeship.

Classes are held two nights each week for 2.5 hours each night. The total number of classroom hours is determined by the curricula of the respective trade. Apprentices must receive a minimum or 144 hours of classroom instruction each year.

ABC San Diego trains apprentices in Electrical, Plumbing/Pipefitting, Sheet Metal and Electronics Systems Technician.  Employers participate as “sponsors” by employing the apprentice full time in the trade. The sponsoring employer agrees to train the apprentice in the individual trade while the apprentice earns a living and builds a reputation as a skilled, knowledgeable and reliable employee.

At ABC we want to help you plan and realize your goals. Apprenticeship training gives construction workers a considerable advantage over those trained by informal means. Advantages include:

Qualification for a higher level of pay.

• Certification skills from the State of California, Division Apprenticeship Standards, in San Diego and Imperial counties.
• Earn college degree credits through San Diego City College.
• Family medical insurance benefits.
• Exposes you to the latest technology and building codes.
• Offers you life-long job mobility through a nationally recognized certification program of your skills.

Qualifications

• All applicants must be 18 years or older, and must have a high school diploma or equivalent, Board of Education certified GED.
• Electrical candidates must also show proof of a C grade or better in basic Algebra.
• In order to identify the best candidates for the program, applicants must pass a rigid qualifying test that evaluates reading comprehension and math computation skills.
• Candidates that sucessfully pass the qualifying examination proceed to an oral interview and a drug-screening test.
• Once the candidate passes all tests and interviews, he/she is indentured and referred to a prospective employer.
• In addition to their on-the-job training provided by the employer, apprentices must attend classes two nights a week to master the technical and theoretical requirements of the trade.