Official Recognition
On July 6, 1994, The U.S. Department of laborers' Bureau of Apprenticeship Training (BAT) officially recognized the Construction Laborers' occupation as an apprenticable trade. The Board of Trustees of the West Virginia Laborers' Training Trust Fund realized this official recognition was a long waited opportunity to develop a structured training program that would consistently provide union contractors with productive multi-skilled construction Laborers. The board immediately formed a multi-skilled construction Laborers. The board immediately formed a Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) which developed a comprehensive set of program standards that was approved by the BAT on January 18, 1995, and so began the West Virginia Construction Craft Laborers' Apprenticeship Program.
The Construction Craft Laborers' Apprenticeship Program-A Distinct Advantage
Unlike most other construction trade apprenticeship programs, the Construction Craft Laborers'(CCL) program is designed to provide apprentices with 160 hours of training before they ever set foot on a job site. To become eligible for employment and on the job training, the apprentice must complete the program's initial classroom and hands-on training session. It is during this initial session that the apprentice receives training in basic construction skills, safety awareness, and work ethics.
Since safety and production go hand in hand in today's construction industry, the West Virginia Laborers' JATC believes this unique approach provides a distinct advantage for both the apprentice and the union contractor
Classroom and Hands-On Training
The skill requirements of the Construction Craft Laborers
have changed tremendously over the past few decades and safety has become a number one
priority instead of just an afterthought. Today's construction industry requires Construction
Craft Laborers to use tools, equipment and techniques that demand specialized training and
continual safety awareness. To meet these demands, the Construction Craft Laborers'
Apprenticeship Program requires a total of 408 hours of classroom and hands-on training.
- Construction Skills/Safety Training
Apprentices will be required to attend two 160 hour training sessions at the West Virginia Laborers' Training Center in Mineral Wells, West Virginia. Both sessions consist of four consecutive five-day weeks, Monday through Friday, eight hours per day. The first session is normally held in the spring and the second session is normally held the following winter as outlined below.
- Spring Session
1st Year of Participation- 160 hours
Basic Construction Craft Laborer Skills
Concrete Practices and Procedures
Winter Session
2nd Year of Participation- 160 hours
Line and Grade/Instrument Reading
Pipelaying/Pipeline Safety
Mason Tending and Scaffold Building
- Environmental Remediation/Safety Training
In order to complete the program, apprentices must attend an eight hour First Aid/CPR course and they must accumulate, at their own convenience, 80 total hours of Environmental Remediation/Safety training. Apprentices may choose from the following list of courses which are normally offered at the Training Center several times throughout the year.
- Hazardous Waste Worker
Asbestos Abatement
Lead Abatement
Radiation Worker
Underground Storage Tank Removal
Practical on-the-job experience is a must in any occupation and the Construction Craft Laborers' Trade is no exception. During this portion of the program, apprentices are paid their appropriate wage rate while receiving on-the-job training under actual working conditions on a construction project. Apprentices are required to accumulate 4000 hours of on-the-job training as outlined below.
- General Skills 1,500 hours
Air Tool Operation and Preventive Maintenance
Power Tool Operation and Preventive Maintenance
Soil Compaction
Rigging and Signaling
Traffic Control
Site/Project Preparation and/or Maintenance
Site/Project Clean-Up and/or Security
All other Non-Specific Skills Traditionally Performed by Construction Craft Laborers'
- Specific Skills 2,500 hours
Concrete/Asphalt Placement
Mason Tending/Scaffold Building
Line and Grade/Instrument Reading
Pipelaying
Cutting and Burning/Demolition
Environmental Remediation
The established rate of pay for the Apprenticeship Program will be a percentage of the Journayman's Rate, based on the number of on-the-job training hours they have accumulated below.
| OJT Hours | % of Journeymen Rate |
| 0- 1000 | 60% |
| 1001- 2000 | 70% |
| 2001- 3000 | 80% |
| 3001- 4000 | 90% |
Eligibility Requirements
In order to be eligible to participate in the Construction Craft Laborers' Apprenticeship Program, applicants must:
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Possess a valid driver's license
- Be physically able to perform the duties of the craft
- Pass a physical exam and a drug test
- Possess a high school diploma or equivalent (GED)
Applicants who meet the eligibility requirements will be given an aptitude test. Based on the overall test results, a predetermined number of applicants with the highest test scores will be interviewed by the JATC. Following the guidelines outlined in the program standards, the JATC will evaluate each eligible applicant based on various factors including, but not limited to, educational background, work experience and test results. Applicants are ranked based on the evaluation results, and a predetermined number of the highest ranked applicants are then selected to participate in the program.
How To Apply
Applications are normally taken on the 3rd Friday of each month at area Job Services throughout the State of West Virginia. Please do not call the Job Service offices.
West Virginia Laborers' Training Center
Apprenticeship Mailing List
P.O. Box 6
Mineral Wells, West Virginia 26150
WV Laborers' Training Trust Fund
P.O. Box 6
Mineral Wells, WV 26150
Phone: (304) 489-9665
Fax: (304) 489-1487
E Mail: wvccl@citynet.net
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