Carpentry

• Choose an apprenticeship program (can be union or non-union). However, you will have more luck finding an apprenticeship with a union and it won’t cost as much as a non-unionized trade school. 

• • Apprenticeship will take approximately 4 years (8,000 hours of work-based training)

  • Classroom instruction (640 hours of classroom training)

    • Some topics include: blueprint reading, framing and finishing, safety regulation, and tool and equipment operation

What else?

• Apprentices also earn a percentage of journeyman wages, increasing each year (this can be anywhere from minimum wage to $20/hour or more)

• If you want to run your own business or oversee large projects, you must obtain a Construction Supervisor License (CSL). 

  • This step will come after you’ve completed 3 years of documented construction experience.