Labor In The News: IUOE 99 Apprenticeship Program

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)IUOE Local 99’s apprenticeship program was highlighted in a recent U.S. News & World Report article (Apprenticeships a Little-Traveled Path to Jobs). “Ray Lambert is almost done with his four years of school, and he already has a steady income at a good job,” wrote Danielle Kurtzleben. "I absolutely love it,” Lambert said. “It's something different every day. There's always a problem to be solved." A building engineer for an apartment management company in McLean, VA, Lambert is finishing up an apprenticeship with IUOE 99. "This is a very specific trade; you have to know electricity, HVAC, you have to know everything. And it becomes very widely sought-after," he says. There are around 398,000 registered apprentices in the U.S., down significantly from a decade ago – nearly 490,000 in 2003 – and dwarfed by figures from even much smaller countries like Germany, whose apprenticeship system trains around 1.5 million people per year. “Construction and building maintenance industry leaders in the U.S. are worried about meeting future needs for trained journeyworkers and technicians,” says Community Services Agency Executive Director Kathleen McKirchy, “so these are great careers for folks to think about getting into now.” CSA’s Building Futures program helps train and place DC residents in the local trades. - photo courtesy IUOE 99