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UA:
Training and Apprenticeship
The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of
the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry (UA) is a strong union with over
326,000 members in representation. As
the title of the union reveals, the membership of the UA is primarily employed
in the plumbing and pipe fitting industries: fabrication, installation and
servicing. Like most of the labor unions
in the United, the UA is affiliated with the AFL-CIO (American Federation of
Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations).
The UA trades require highly skilled workers, and therefore education
and training are critical components of the organization. The UA boasts the most successful
training programs available in the industry today, including five-year
apprenticeship programs, extensive journeyman training organized instructor
training, and certification programs.
Apprenticeship is a key element in
the UA’s training program. According to the dictionary, an apprentice is one inexperienced worker bound by legal agreement to
work for another for a specific amount of time in return for instruction in a
trade, art, or business. Unions that To
join the UA without any prior experience, individuals enter a United
Association five-year apprenticeship program and are part of a select group of
men and women motivated to learn a complex and challenging trade while
upholding the ideals of trade unionism.
Once the apprenticeship is
complete, the worker becomes known as a journeyman and can now obtain contracts
through the union locals. Although the
training program does take a long time to complete, journeymen are paid high
wages and given great benefits, comparable to those of a college graduate. Many unions spend a great amount of money and
resources recruiting new apprentices every year. However, most high school students are
unaware of this amazing opportunity when they are examining their future career
goals.
To read more on becoming an
apprentice with the UA, please visit their homepage. You may also find a local union near you
using Unions.org Premier Local Union Search
Engine (PULSE).
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