Through our members’ training and apprenticeship programs, we prepare our apprentices to learn the latest techniques in their trades, while also prioritizing safety training.
Regardless of which trade interests a prospective apprentice, the Arizona State Building and Construction Trades Council offers a world-class member training program that will enable them to set the foundation for a successful career while earning a competitive salary and getting real-world experience on the job site.
Earn while you learn—graduate with no debt. Contact one of our apprenticeship programs for more information and start your career TODAY!
AZBTC Apprenticeship Readiness programs provide an introduction to the building and construction trades, facilitating entry into the full apprenticeship programs.
Trades Build Futures at Las Artes
AZBTC has partnered with SER – Jobs for Progress of Southern Arizona, Las Artes Arts and Education Program, and Arizona@Work Pima County to offer an apprenticeship readiness program for individuals aged 17 to 24 who have earned a high school diploma or GED and possess a valid driver’s license.
Download the Pima County Trades Building Futures Flyer
Meet the first cohort to graduate from the program.
Trades Build Futures – Phoenix
The apprenticeship readiness program is available to individuals aged 17 and up who have earned a high school diploma or GED and possess a valid driver’s license.
Want more information about the Apprentice Readiness Program?
Complete the Apprenticeship Readiness Program Inquiry Form, or email tbf@azbuildingtrades.org.
Veterans: Helmets to HardhatsAZBTC has partnered with the Helmets to Hardhats program to connect veterans to opportunities with AZBTC-affiliated apprenticeship programs.
An apprentice is a worker who learns a craft through planned, supervised, on-the-job training, combined with technical instruction in a classroom setting. Experienced journeymen and instructors teach apprentices the proper use, care, and safe handling of tools and equipment used in their trade. Additionally, apprentices are required to complete courses that complement their trade-oriented, job-site training. These programs require commitment, hard work, endurance, and ambition to complete. The competitiveness of our apprenticeship programs ensures that our journeymen are the best-trained, most knowledgeable, and safest tradespeople in their trades!
An apprenticeship is a job! It combines supervised, full-time, structured, on-the-job training with related classroom instruction. Most apprenticeship programs last four to five years, depending on the trade – each program typically involves thousands of hours of classroom instruction and on-the-job training. State-of-the-art Arizona Building Trades apprenticeship programs are free of charge to apprentices, incurring an expense of more than $6.2 million, which is privately funded by employers or labor/management groups who believe training is the key to producing high-quality, safe tradespeople.
It depends on the trade, but apprentices usually start at a percentage of the journeyman wage and receive increases at regular intervals. Generally, a starting wage for an apprentice is about 50 percent of the journeyman wage. Apprentices usually receive wage increases every six to 12 months, provided they make satisfactory progress in their program. The trades also provide a health and benefits package to apprentices and their families.
The particular skills and knowledge necessary to become an apprentice vary by trade. In most cases, technical knowledge of mathematics and science as they relate to each specific trade is essential, as well as a strong desire and commitment to complete the program, develop the required skill sets, and take pride in quality workmanship.
