The Whitney Young Job Corps carpentry and welding students attended the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Union to gain knowledge of the apprenticeship opportunities. Approximately 20 students were eager to hear the men and women in the union discuss a future in carpentry via the apprenticeship program. After having a tour and seeing firsthand what is expected, several Whitney Young students are very interested and ready for the challenge ahead of them.
Carpentry Instructor, Steve Rauch, stated his students are the prime candidates for the carpentry apprenticeship program because they will have the basic knowledge and experience to know all the tools and the fundamentals of how and why to use them. Carpentry students graduating from Whitney Young Job Corps will have an advantage simply because Job Corps is considered a pre-apprenticeship. Many students come to Whitney with very little knowledge of the carpentry trade, but after10-14 months of book and hands on training they are prepared for the next step of an apprenticeship to begin a successful career.
Hope Harp, representative for the IKORCC Union, spoke to the students and indicated she will be available if anyone has any other questions down the road. Making a commitment to join the carpenter’s apprenticeship union is not a spur of the moment decision. Students are to work at least 4 years to fully complete the apprenticeship program. As with all advance trainings and apprenticeships, there are high expectations and standards that individuals will need to achieve prior to going to the next level. Students will be compensated as well for their work in the apprenticeship program.
The Whitney Young Job Corps Center is a perfect transition from high school to adult-hood. When students first arrive you may see a little nervousness, but after they complete their certifications and obtain a driver’s license, students are more confidence to take on the world.