Training

Union ironworkers and employers sponsor a four year apprenticeship program.  Training is conducted in the classroom and on the job site.  Ironworker apprentices attend a four week, daytime training session each year of their apprenticeship.  Classes are normally held during the winter months.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

AGE - Eighteen years of age and provide proof.
EDUCATION - High school graduate or GED equivalent

References, proof of age, veteran’s DD214 can be submitted at anytime. 

Applications will not be processed for ranking until minimum qualifications are met. 

Applications may be updated at anytime, year round.
 

Providing requested documentation will help increase scores.  Applicants that meet the minimum qualifications will be scored and ranked and placed on the list of eligible applicants.  Apprentices will be selected in ranked order from the list of eligible applicants.  Applicants may provide additional documentation year round in an attempt to increase the ran king score.

Applicants are placed numerically on the eligibility list by the application score they receive.  Points are given for education, previous employment, past employers’ recommendations, and for military service.  Classes useful in preparation for a career in the Union Ironworking industry are:

1.   Mathematics
2.  Drafting and blueprint reading
3.   Construction technology
4.   Shop  
 

Nature of the work

Ironworkers erect the steel structure of bridges, buildings and other projects.  Steel beams are hoisted up and set into place, forming the framework of the project.  Ironworkers also cut and weld and install steel structures of concrete buildings.

The work is done outdoors and frequently at great height.  Noise and vibration are common.  Hazards include injury from falls.  Ironworkers must be prepared to travel. Applicants must be able to perform the rigorous manual labor required by the trade and have a natural ability to work safely at high elevations with a good sense of balance.

Ironworkers often travel to job sites out of town or where no public transportation is available.  A valid driver’s license and good, reliable transportation are necessary items.  On out of town job sites, a daily subsistence allowance is provided.
  

WORK PROCESSES AND APPROXIMATE HOURS

The work process to be learned and the approximate hours required for each are:

1. Structural              1,000 hours

2. Reinforcing              900 hours

3. Post Tension            900 hours

4. Ornamental               900 hours

6. Sheeting                   300 hours

7. Decking                    300 hours

8. Rigging                     900 hours

 TOTAL                     6,400 hours  
  

RELATED TRAINING

Approximately 200 hours of related training shall be required each year.          
 

WAGE SCHEDULE 

Effective July 1, 2010 the average wage for those journeymen employed by the participating employers in the occupation is $33.62.  First year apprentices start at 65% of the journeyman wage.

  Standards of Apprenticeship

  Apprentice Progress report