May 15, 2004
Apprentices David Andrew (left) and Ralph Lake watch
Crim Phillips at work. (photo by Gary Abernathy.)
Partnership goal is to get local people into local high-wage jobs
by Gary Abernathy, YKHC Learning Center
On Thursday, April 22, the first meeting of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Apprenticeship Program Advisory Committee was held. The meeting marked the culmination and success of a huge effort over the last few years to put in place a Department of Labor-approved-and-registered apprenticeship program specifically designed to provide the YK-Delta region with certified, highly skilled Plumbers, Electricians, and Carpenters.
The concept of Apprenticeship is not new to the Delta. The Association of Village Council Presidents Regional Housing Authority (AVCP-RHA) and Alaska Works Partnership (AWP) have had very good success with their Building, Maintenance and Repair (BMR) Step-Up Apprenticeship Program, which has been registered and operational for the past four years in the Delta. BMR apprentices have documented an incredible 50,000+ hours in this program and have gained skills in all phases of construction.
As sponsors of the new specific trades apprenticeship program, the Yukon- Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) and AVCP-RHA are working to establish this new program as a cornerstone for local career development and the ultimate mission of getting local people into local high-wage jobs. By providing comprehensive construction training, local workers will be prepared to meet the current and future construction demands in the Delta.
The added benefit of having YKHC and AVCP-RHA co-sponsor the program is that apprentices have the opportunity to get more hours of work per year because they will be eligible to earn on-the-job training hours with either agency. Both sponsors will have many projects to complete over the next few years throughout the Delta.
A new employee for the sponsors will start out as an apprentice. These individuals must complete 8,000 hours of paid on-the-job training for the duration of the program as well as 144 hours of related classroom training per year, which is provided by Yuut Elitnaurviat. Once all requirements have been met, apprentices become "Journeymen" and can work as leads and/or supervisors in the construction field.
Individuals who have received previous on-the-job and related classroom training through the BMR program or a training program like those found at the Alaska Vocational Technical Center in Seward, AK, will be eligible to apply those hours toward the overall requirements of the new specific trades apprenticeship program.
In the beginning phase of the Apprenticeship Program, focus has been primarily on individuals already working for one of the co-sponsors who have been waiting for the program to be registered with the Department of Labor. Additionally, BMR participants who have approximately 2000 hours in that program are eligible to Step-Up into the new program and begin specializing in a specific trade, such as Plumber, Electrician, or Carpenter.
Currently there are 10 Registered Plumbing Apprentices, seven Registered Electrical Apprentices, and nine Registered Carpenter Apprentices for a total of 26. Collectively, they have already completed approximately 1,100 hours of related classroom instruction and are all gearing up for the upcoming construction season.
David Andrew, of Marshall, is the first BMR Apprentice to choose to Step-Up into the new specific trades program. David, whose chosen field is Carpentry, has just completed his first week of trade specific classroom training for Carpentry Apprentices. He has already demonstrated his aptitude and strong work ethic in the BMR program and is sure to be equally successful as a specific trades apprentice. David is a remarkable individual with unlimited potential, and is an example of how both Apprenticeship Programs will be working together to meet common goals.
BMR apprentices who do not choose to step-up into a specific construction trade simply continue on to complete the rest of the BMR program. In fact, nine BMR apprentices received their certificates of completion at the 8th annual AVCP Regional Housing Authority Conference in Bethel in April 2004.
The Y-K Delta Apprenticeship Program is not an employer but will provide the necessary training and documentation needed to make the trade specific program successful for the apprentices and the sponsors. The next phase of the program will be to evaluate the need for additional apprentices on the Delta and assist the sponsors in the process of adding those individuals to the program. Look for advertisements for this next phase in your local paper soon.
For more information, contact Gary Abernathy at The YKHC Learning Center at 543-6985 or gary_abernathy@ykhc.org.