PA Dept of Labor Apprenticeship Programs?

TwoBlocked

TwoBlocked

Senior Member
Location
Bradford County, PA
Occupation
Industrial Electrician
Been trying to find training resources for our electrical apprentice. ATS (Advanced Technical Schooling) seems a good choice. They are approved in a number of states (but not Pa, not yet ...) and base their curriculum on Mike Holt materials.

ATS is interested in using us to help them become approved in PA. I don't know a whole lot about the PA DOL apprenticeship program, if that is what it should be called, and am hoping some of you fine folks have had experience with it. I have my doubts that it is a good fit for a small shop like ours - Gas field indication and control contractor with me being the only electrician.

As I understand it, the PA DOL "program" requires a minimum of 6 Journeymen before having a second apprentice. I can see the reasoning, so that a company doesn't have a slew of apprentices, getting paid very little (below minimum wage?) with little true on the job training. But in our situation, if our existing apprentice were to be in the PA "program" and we took on another apprentice, he would not be able to be in it. This would create a two-tier system - not good.

Any experience or thoughts on the matter? The State of PA does not require Electrical Journeymen to be licensed, but some Counties do.
 
TwoBlocked said:
Been trying to find training resources for our electrical apprentice. ATS (Advanced Technical Schooling) seems a good choice. They are approved in a number of states (but not Pa, not yet ...) and base their curriculum on Mike Holt materials.

ATS is interested in using us to help them become approved in PA. I don't know a whole lot about the PA DOL apprenticeship program, if that is what it should be called, and am hoping some of you fine folks have had experience with it. I have my doubts that it is a good fit for a small shop like ours - Gas field indication and control contractor with me being the only electrician.

As I understand it, the PA DOL "program" requires a minimum of 6 Journeymen before having a second apprentice. I can see the reasoning, so that a company doesn't have a slew of apprentices, getting paid very little (below minimum wage?) with little true on the job training. But in our situation, if our existing apprentice were to be in the PA "program" and we took on another apprentice, he would not be able to be in it. This would create a two-tier system - not good.

Any experience or thoughts on the matter? The State of PA does not require Electrical Journeymen to be licensed, but some Counties do.
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Please be careful dealing with foot dragging Pa Politicians. When my father took the City of Philadelphia test for his electrical license in 1964 he was told politicians in Harrisburg are working on a state license. About ten years ago wonderful Philly IAEI chapter sent some Inspectors & electricians to talk to politicians about getting a state license. A few of them said they would look into it. Great to see non union companies taking on apprentices. Win win for everyone.During my 50 years as an electrician have seen small companies that hire a young person for minimum wage then tell them after four or five years they will be an electrician making full rate but they never provide classroom training or books. Expect training is on the job asking the electrician to train them.
 
garbo said:
Please be careful dealing with foot dragging Pa Politicians. When my father took the City of Philadelphia test for his electrical license in 1964 he was told politicians in Harrisburg are working on a state license. About ten years ago wonderful Philly IAEI chapter sent some Inspectors & electricians to talk to politicians about getting a state license. A few of them said they would look into it. Great to see non union companies taking on apprentices. Win win for everyone.During my 50 years as an electrician have seen small companies that hire a young person for minimum wage then tell them after four or five years they will be an electrician making full rate but they never provide classroom training or books. Expect training is on the job asking the electrician to train them.
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Taking on an apprentice seems the ONLY way to get additional, COMPETENT electricians around here. I'll skip the anecdotes, everybody has some. Thing is, since I'm the only electrician, I want him to get training elsewhere, also. I want him to be broadly trained.
 
ATS has suggested waiting until they are approved before our apprentice starts the curriculum, so that he might be able to get some kind of certification from the state of PA without having to retake any portions of the training.

I question whether the contractor I work for wants to mess with the State approval at all.
 
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