What is an apprenticeship program?
An apprenticeship program is an organized system of on-the-job
training supplemented by related technical instruction, in which
the apprentice learns by doing, and earns while learning. The
apprentice will be indentured by the Joint Labor Management
Apprenticeship Committee (JAC), which will monitor the
apprentice's progress for the four years of the program.
What does "indenture" mean?
The term "indenture" describes the contractual relationship
under which the apprentice, the labor union, the employer, and the
Division of Apprenticeship Standards sign an agreement that
specifies the terms of the apprenticeship. These parties, under
the regulations prescribed by the California Division of
Apprenticeship Standards and the monitoring by the JAC ensure
that the indentured employee receives the requisite training
to prepare him/her for an eventual position as a fully qualified
Stationary Engineer.
What is the term of apprenticeship?
The standard term of the Stationary Engineers Apprenticeship
program is four years. During this four-year period the apprentice,
as any other employee, is expected to perform all assigned duties
as a full-time employee and, in addition, continue his/her studies
outside of work at a training facility provided by the Local 39
Training Department, or at a local community college. During this
four-year period the apprentice will become increasingly proficient
in all facets of stationary engineer work including knowledge of
boilers, air conditioning and refrigeration, automatic controls,
general maintenance, and plant management.
What are the goals of the program?
It is the goal of Local 39 and the program to produce highly
qualified and well trained workers who have solid knowledge as
well as specific, technical job skills.
What is the Local 39 Joint Apprenticeship Committee?
The JAC is a joint labor/management committee made up of
ten representatives, five of whom shall be selected by and
represent the employer organizations, and five of whom shall
be selected by and represent the employee organizations. A
representative from the Division of Apprenticeship Standards
along with a representative from the local community college also
serve in an advisory capacity.
What is the purpose and jurisdiction
of the Joint Apprenticeship Committee?
The Joint Apprenticeship Committee and Advisory Committee shall
supervise the Stationary Engineers Apprenticeship program in
all forty-seven (47) northern counties of California and all
counties in Nevada except Clark, Lincoln, Esmeralda, and Nye.
Local Sub-Joint Apprenticeship Committees are established in
Sacramento, Oakland, Reno, Fresno, and San Jose. These Sub-Joint
Apprenticeship Committees shall administer the Apprenticeship
program locally as provided in the Apprenticeship Standards of
the Northern California and Northern Nevada Stationary Engineers
handbook.
How does one become an apprentice?
The following steps occur when an individual makes a decision to
apply for a Local 39 Stationary Engineer Apprenticeship:
- An application for the examination has to be filed within
the time period as specified in the announcement.
- Providing the applicant meets the established minimum
requirements, a test date will be assigned.
- The test is conducted, and providing the applicant passes
the exam, the applicant will be placed on an Eligible Hiring List,
which is ranked as to the score achieved.
- Potential employers are permitted to interview the top
three (3) eligible applicants from the "Eligible
Applicant List", also referred to as "The Approved
Hiring List". Employers are required to get a clearance
from the Joint Apprenticeship Committee prior to hiring any
apprentice.
- In-plant promotion applicants who are on the
"Eligible Applicant List" can be hired out of
sequence by two methods. (a) The applicant must be currently
employed in a full time capacity by the approved firm. This
employment must have been for a continuous period of over six
months in another occupational classification before the date
of the written test, or (b), the applicant must be currently
employed in a full time capacity by the approved firm and
providing that this employment has been for a period of twelve
months or more of continuous service in another occupation
classification the applicant will become eligible for an
in-plant promotion.
- When an applicant is selected by an employer an
Apprenticeship Indenture is effectuated by and between
four (4) parties:
a. The employer
b. The apprentice
c. The Union (JAC)
d. The State of California/Division of Apprenticeship Standards
- The selected applicant commences their Apprenticeship
Training Program
a. Four (4) years on-the-job training (8000 hours)
b. Eight semesters of related supplemental instruction,
which equates to a minimum of seven hundred and ninety two
(792) hours of related classroom hours.
The Shelly-Maloney Apprentice Labor Standards Act of
1939 governs Local 39's Apprenticeship Program. The program is
primarily funded through contributions from signatory employers.
Monetary amounts are negotiated between the Union and the employers.
For more information about the Local 39 Apprenticeship Program, please contact Jim Maple, Apprenticeship Coordinator, at (415) 285-3939 or via email at jmaple@local39training.org.
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