Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship Pathway
Non-Apprenticeship Pathway

Apprenticeship Pathway

The Apprenticeship Pathway is designed for students who are employed by a sponsor registered with the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL). These students are officially recognized as USDOL apprentices. If your employer has not registered you with the USDOL, you are not considered an apprentice in the State of New Jersey. To participate in the apprenticeship program, your employer must complete the registration process with the USDOL.

Students in this pathway are required to complete 8,000 on-the-job training hours and 576 hours of related educational instruction to meet program standards.

Non-Apprenticeship Pathway

The Non-Apprenticeship Pathway offers students the opportunity to receive education and training in the trade of their choice without being registered as an apprentice. This pathway is ideal for individuals who do not have an employer sponsor and are not required to meet the standards of a registered apprenticeship program. Students in this program are not obligated to complete the typical 8,000 work hours or 576 hours of related technical instruction associated with apprenticeships.

Apprenticeship is a nationally-recognized, post-secondary program involving paid on-the-job training during the day and related technical instruction in the evening.

Enrollment in an apprentice class does not automatically grant a student-registered apprentice status through the United States Department of Labor.

An apprenticeship program is a voluntary arrangement between a licensed employer (sponsor) and an employee (apprentice). As part of this agreement, the employer agrees to provide the apprentice with on-the-job training and the apprentice agrees to attend coursework in the evening. Mercer County Technical Schools will provide the coursework. The apprentice, as well as his/her employer, will be registered with the United States Department of Labor when an agreement is signed. To become a registered apprentice, you must be working in the field of your choice with an employer willing to sponsor you. Your sponsor agrees to make you available to attend coursework two nights per week, September through June, usually from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The apprentice, not the sponsor, is responsible for the payment of courses, books, supplies, and registration fees.

Apprenticeship Training Programs range from three to four years in duration, depending upon occupation and job title.

The successful candidate earns a Certificate of Completion from:

Mercer County Technical Schools
The United States Department of Labor

Licensure Requirements for Apprenticeships in Carpentry, Electrical, Plumbing, HVAC, and Welding Trades in New Jersey

The above occupations require licensure in the State of New Jersey to work as public contractors. Students who attend training programs in these areas may work as apprentices. Once they complete their apprenticeship they are called journeymen. Apprentices and journeymen are allowed to work under the supervision of a licensed Carpenter, Electrical, Plumbing, HVACR, or Welding contractor. Journeymen have the opportunity to sit for their licenses after a period of four (4) years (8,000 hours) of on-the-job experience and 576 hours of Related Technical Instruction (classroom coursework) and achieve a passing score on the appropriate New Jersey licensure exam. Students completing the program and wishing to work without licensure may continue to do so indefinitely as apprentices or journeymen, as long as they are working under the direct supervision and authority of a licensed contractor specific to their trade.

Successful completers of a sequence of courses earn a certificate from Mercer County Technical Schools, and in some cases, credit hours earned may be applied to a registered apprenticeship program.

Carpentry Apprenticeship

4-Year Program/156 Hours per year

math, blueprint reading, hand and power tool use, materials, ladders, and scaffolding, foundations, concrete and stairs, decking and siding, floor, wall and roof framing, roof materials, exterior finishes, and interior finishes and trim. CPR course is required (through a private arrangement) for an additional fee. Extra fee required for lab units.