Instructors are chosen from the trade for their expertise in the field and are trained to teach NEFBA curriculum, which uses standards that give graduates credentials accepted nationally and beyond. In addition to working 40-hour weeks year-round, NEFBA apprentices accumulate 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and 600 hours of related technical classroom and laboratory instruction between September and April at Keiser University, Ridgeview and Middleburg high schools. "Not every high school graduate will go to college and the trades offer high-paying wages in fields with projected overwhelming growth," Ward said. The NEFBA apprenticeship program is one of two National Home Builders Association-sanctioned programs in Florida plumbing, carpentry and electrical training are also available.Īccording to Keith Ward, NEFBA's training vice president and Apprenticeship Executive Committee chair, apprenticeships are ideal for people of all ages, with various educational and employment backgrounds, who want a career path in commercial or residential construction.Ībout 200 people are enrolled in the NEFBA program.
UNION HVAC APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS INSTALL
McKay is learning to install and service residential, commercial and industrial HVAC systems, monitor automated building controls and solve problems in the field.īill Lauver, the Florida Department of Education's Region 1 apprenticeship and training representative, said apprentices in state-registered programs such as NEFBA's earn a progressive wage as their skills increase.ĭepending on the trade, programs last one to five years at least 144 hours of related instruction for each year is apprenticeship is required. Tuition is usually covered by the employer or a grant. Especially prevalent in the construction and manufacturing trades, apprenticeships are sponsored by individual employers, joint employer and labor groups, as well as employer and trade associations. "In addition to the technical information from textbooks, I especially appreciate hearing about the real-world experiences, situations and rules of thumb my teachers and classmates add to the learning process."Īpprenticeships provide on-the-job training and related classroom instruction in skilled, high-demand, well-paying occupations. "The apprentice opportunity has exceeded my expectations," said. McKay is slated to complete the NEFBA program and go on to achieve journeyman status in 2018. He also appreciated the opportunity to earn a decent salary.Ī field technician apprentice for Jacksonville air-conditioning contractor Thermodyne Services, McKay feels his career and financial goals are in sight because of the "world of opportunities" NEFBA's program provides. McKay said he chose heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) because he is mechanically inclined. "I honestly did not know what to expect." "I picked up a brochure and I also checked it out online," he said. From his first grass-cutting gigs as a 14-year-old to the golf course job that put money in his pocket during high school, Tony McKay has never minded hard work.īut McKay, now 21, said he didn't know what was ahead of him when he enrolled in a Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA) apprenticeship program, a few months after graduating from high school.
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