Where do I begin?

- [Jen Netherwood] Apprenticeship is the main path to becoming a journey level worker. Apprentices get to work out in the field, side-by-side, next to another journey level carpenter, who teaches them everything they need to know about the skills and craft that they have chosen. Here at the training center, we supplement that training with some different skill classes. So, apprentices will spend most of their time out on a job site working right next to a journey level carpenter and they'll come in here and go through my doors in hardware class to learn a little more. - [Michael Hawes] Over that four years of the apprenticeship, we teach a lot about the fundamentals of construction, right. And once they get to a point where they have the fundamentals down, and they understand, and can see the process of how a building goes together, you apply those technical skills then. And start making that transition into being a foreman on the job site, where you'll be responsible for the crew. - When people come into the apprenticeship program, they start out as a first-term apprentice. As they progress through their four years here, each year, they're expected to know a little bit more about the skills, the safety, the standards that make us professional carpenters. - Every single craft that we have will have a different set of skill sets that an apprentice is going to need to develop over that four-year program. So, they're going to have different focuses. But, for example, on the general carpenter apprenticeship track, we will start off with an introduction class where they'll get up to four safety certifications. And, then, with that, we have a special program that we go through that's called Survival of the Fittest. And, it's basically, to prep the apprentices for some of the culture on the job site and to have more of an understanding of what their employers are looking for from them right out of the gate to help them be successful. With that, we're going to spend time with, for example, construction math and the applications of construction math that you will need out in the field. We'll spend some time also with teaching them how to read blueprints. - If you want to get into the carpenters program, the very first thing that you need to do is do a little bit of research online, and try to get a general idea of what a carpenter does. If that's something that interests you, then the first thing to do is fill out an application online. And, we're going to take you through a process. After you fill out an application, you'll be scheduled for an interview and a prehire class. Once you complete those two things, you'll be ranked in terms of if you have a driver's license, if you have a high school diploma, if you have work experience. Once you're ranked, then we'll put you into a ranked pool. And, at that point, you can be dispatched for a job. - They come to school four times a year. So, basically, every quarter they come to school for forty hours. And then the rest of the time, they're out working in the field for a contractor. - While they're here in class, they spend a portion of that time up in a classroom and a portion of that time down on the shop floor actually building things that they're learning about in the classroom. And all of the instructors here understand that for most of us, we learn best visually, and we learn best by doing. So, there's a really good balance between a little bit of classroom time, and a lot of hands-on time down in the shop. - They have the opportunities as an apprentice to take a step-up to foreman class. They also have the opportunity to come to a monthly foreman training that is sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters. We have a specialized foreman training that's specialized for concrete carpenters. We have a specialized foreman training for the exterior/interior specialists. Beyond that, there's superintendent training that they can get involved in. So, one thing that I'm really excited about, and I think we're leading the industry, is in the opportunities for the young men and women in our program to go ahead and actually get technical skills and technical training in leadership. For example, a lot of things that we work really, really hard on is just communication skills, for example. So, there's a lot of opportunity for them to get that additional training they need to manage the projects. - Talk to carpenters. Talk to electricians. Talk to people that are actually doing the job. Ask them what they do. Ask them what they like. Ask them what they don't like. - But, if you have more questions, For example, if you want to bring your parent by, right, or you're parents and want to bring your kids by, then come by and check out one of our training centers. Come over. Our apprentices are typically on lunch from about 11:30 to 12:30, right in there. And come over and sit down and talk to our apprentices. Have lunch with them. Walk around the training center. Look at the different work processes and ask us questions about what it is like to be an apprentice. And, ask questions about the trade. So, we just want to make sure that everybody in the community, you know, feels welcome to come and check out PNCI.