The Kansas plumbers and pipefitting apprentice Program will open its once a year application process from March 7-18 at locations across the state.
The apprentice program is a five year paid program that includes a combination of 275 hours of classroom instruction per year plus on-the job training assisting a qualified Journeyman in all phases of plumbing and pipefitting. An apprentice will also be exposed to blue print reading, drafting, mathematical calculations and computations related to the industry. The minimum starting pay is $15 per hour with pay in the 5th year of the program rising to $30 per hour.
As an apprentice you are making a personal commitment to be in 5 year program. The Local 441 Union Dispatcher finds the apprentice a job where they will work for the five years. School is on a rotational basis, for example: you would come to school one week, then go back to work for five weeks, then back to school for a week. A school year consists of six groups and seven rotations.
An apprentice isn’t paid for their week at school, but they are allowed to apply for unemployment. The classes are held in Wichita and apprentices who live more than 170 miles outside the city are eligible to stay at a hotel for the week provided by the school. If you are 60 miles or more from the school you are eligible for per diem for the week.
Note, the application process only takes place once a year.
You can apply at Workforce Centers in ElDorado, Dodge City, Emporia, Hutchinson, Junction City, Lawrence, Pittsburg, Salina, and Topeka, and at the Plumber and Pipefitters Building at 1330 E. 1st St. in Wichita. There are a few things you will need with you when you go and apply:
- Must present a valid Class C driver’s license and be insurable.
- High School Diploma with Transcripts or GED with Test Scores.
- Must provide a copy of your Certified Birth Certificate or proof of citizenship or proof of legal work status.
- Must complete a Work Keys test through the Workforce Center. The approximately 4 hour long test covers applied mathematics, locating information and reading for information.
If you submit a complete application, you will be contacted for an interview in April. Individuals accepted into the program will begin work as early as April, depending on when the employer needs them. Classroom work begins in late August.
For more information, go to www.ppaks.org.
