About the Training

NCCT’s pre-apprenticeship program is designed to prepare you for a career in the construction industry. This preparation is broken up in to two parts: classroom training and hands-on training. 

While in the classroom, you will learn things like how to read a tape measure, read blueprints, and introduced to construction math. You will also learn to work as part of a crew and can earn safety related certifications that not only increase employability but will also help you to understand just how important safety is on a jobsite. 

In the hands-on training portion of your training, you will be exposed to many different types of work and have a chance to work with the tools that coincide with that trade. You may have the opportunity to try your hand at concrete, carpentry, roofing, welding, laying conduit, electrical work and much more.

NCCT students have built homes, renovated city parks, completed community gardens and been a part of many other projects for our communities. You can learn how to do all of this and more! Our instructors have spent years in the field as certified Journeymen. They have a great deal of experience and passion with one goal in mind – preparing you for a career in construction. 

The Division of Apprenticeship Standards, most apprenticeship programs, and employers that NCCT partners with, require that you complete a minimum of 144 hours of pre-apprenticeship classroom training. These are the very basic standard requirements. They help to ensure the student’s commitment and comprehension and increase levels of job retention and success. The length of the training program varies by site. Some students will require additional training time as every student has their own unique barriers, schedules, challenges, and goals.

REDUCED TRAINING HOURS

You can receive a reduced number of training hours needed at NCCT in the following 2 ways:

• Previous Construction Experience Credit – Maximum of 75% reduction or up to 108 hours of credit available- 36 training hours needed.
  Requirements: Credit for PCE must be submitted by the student and approved no later than 1 week after your start date. Acceptable proof of previous construction experience shall be payroll stubs or a letter from a previous employer, on a company letterhead, which details both the type(s) of work performed as well as the duration of employment.
• Accelerated Credit – A trainee must complete at least 48 hours of training before an accelerated credit request may be submitted. In recognition of advanced ability and progress, an instructor may submit an accelerated credit form to the office with detailed commentary on why the trainee should be granted accelerated credit. This may decrease the term of apprenticeship for an individual apprentice not more than twelve and one-half (12 ½) percent or 18 hours of training leaving 126 training hours to be completed. 
  Requirements: AC must be determined and submitted by your instructor only after a minimum of 48 training hours has been completed by the student.

NCCT has a well-deserved reputation for going the extra mile to offer help wherever and whenever we can.  Our goal is to ensure the success of YOU and of this program. In some cases where an NCCT graduate is accepted into a Union Apprenticeship program and cannot afford a tool belt, basic tools or initiation fees required for that Union Trade, we will work with the student to assist with these costs, when and if funding is available.  We work closely with other organizations and partners to try to ensure that all our students have the resources they need to succeed.  

                   Life After NCCT

NCCT has strong relationships with many apprenticeship programs that recognize and value the training our students receive. Job Placement into an apprenticeship program is not guaranteed, as there are a number of factors involved such as industry demand, economic and weather conditions, etc. however, NCCT is committed to placing as many of our Graduates as the industry can absorb successfully.  

Once in an apprenticeship program, you will be dispatched to affiliated contractors who will hire you and allow you to continue your training while working and getting paid. Each trade’s apprenticeship program is unique in structure and can last anywhere from two to five years. 

The average starting wages for a Union Apprentice range from $18.00 to $25.00 per hour depending on the trade. Wages increase as your time in the apprenticeship program passes until you graduate and become a journey-level worker in that trade.