Pre-Apprenticeship
and Training Programs

What is
Pre-Apprenticeship?

Pre-apprenticeship is a program or set of services designed to prepare individuals to enter and succeed in a Registered Apprenticeship program.  Although a pre-apprenticeship can be helpful, it’s not required (and often not necessary) to become a registered apprentice. Pre-apprenticeships may be a good fit for individuals who:

  • Have little or no experience in the construction trade
  • Experience barriers to employment
  • Need to improve their math skills
  • Need assistance obtaining supplies or equipment
  • Need help meeting minimum qualifications for a registered apprenticeship

The mission of Constructing Hope is to rebuild the lives of people in our community by encouraging self-sufficiency through skills training and education in the construction industry. At Constructing Hope we serve people of color, people coming from incarceration, and low-income adults. A youth summer camp provides skills, motivation, and construction career pathways.

Constructing Hope’s GOALS are to:

  • Help the long-term unemployed attain sustainable careers,

  • Increase workforce diversity,

  • Reduce recidivism, and

  • Meet hiring needs in the construction industry

Mt. Hood Community College’s Construction Pathway for English Language Learners (CPELL) program has been designed for people who are learning English that are interested in a career in construction trades. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship Building America Grant provides funding for a 10-week pre-apprenticeship program that prepares participants for a variety of construction trades. CPELL is the first program of its kind in the state of Oregon serving racially and linguistically diverse participants to help meet the current and future demand of the workforce. Please visit our Webpage for more information.

Crater Lake Electrical Pre-Apprenticeship began in 2022 with the aid of a federally funded grant to meet the rising needs of the trades in Southern Oregon, with a focus on the underrepresented. The goal of the program is to provide career exploration and skills development for anyone interested in the Electrical Industry and interested in apprenticeship. Pre-apprenticeship provides 120 hours of academic instruction in Electrical Theory, Algebra, Reading, and more, as well as skills development through hands-on instruction with our licensed Journeyman instructors, all to prepare each student for entry into a registered apprenticeship. We serve all of Southern Oregon, including Douglas, Josephine, Jackson, Klamath, and Lake counties.

A federal grant was awarded to the Electrical Training Alliance to equip under-represented populations for entry into new careers in the electrical industry. Applicants are selected from the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center’s ranked list of eligible candidates. Please visit our website for more information.

Oregon Tradeswomen promotes success for women in the trades through education, leadership, and mentorship. We were founded in 1989 on the principles that women deserve and can attain economic self-sufficiency by pursuing careers in the construction, manufacturing, mechanical, and utility trades while helping and encouraging the trades industry to build a diverse workforce.

Twenty-nine years strong, Oregon Tradeswomen offers innovative trades-based training programs, trades awareness activities and technical assistance to organizations seeking to be inclusive of women in their trade occupations. We offer professional and leadership development for tradeswomen, promote the skilled trades as a highly desirable career path for women and girls, and have earned the respect and support of trades industry employers. Respect, excellence, equity, community, and empowerment are the values reflected in all of our programs and services.

Interested in beginning a new career with apprentice wages starting around $18 an hour?

The Pacific Northwest Carpenters Institute IPNCI) offers a FREE three-week pre-apprenticeship class − Carpenter Trade Preparation (CTP).

The CTP will teach you what a Union Carpenter does, providing hands-on instruction, using the tools of the trade.

Upon CTP completion, qualified individuals will be eligible for directed entry into the Carpenter Apprenticeship Program at PNCI

  • Learn the skills to be a successful Union Carpenter
  • FREE three week Carpenter Trade Preparation training class
  • Job placement, wage increases, health insurance, and pension
  • Qualified graduates may be eligible for directed entry into Carpenter’s Apprentice Program

POIC is proud to offer the Construction Pre-Apprenticeship program: a 12- week program designed to prepare young adults for careers in construction and the trades. This program exposes trainees to paid, hands-on learning, classroom instruction, industry recognized certifications, career exploration, and planning.

The POIC Construction Pre-Apprenticeship is a BOLI-certified course of study and our curriculum is recognized by the OSATC (Oregon State Apprenticeship and Training Council).

Graduates of the program receive continued support from the full-time staff with apprenticeship and job placement.

Serving individuals 18-24 who have their High School Diploma/GED (or are actively engaged in a GED program), and are ready to commit to an intensive training.

PCC provides pre-trade opportunities to students who seek careers in the trades or an apprenticeship. These classes are designed to help students build the necessary skills to meet the minimum entry qualifications to enter a trade or apprenticeship program.

Job Corps is a free education and training program that helps young people learn a career, earn a high school diploma or GED, and find and keep a good job. For eligible young people at least 16 years of age that qualify as low income, Job Corps provides the all-around skills needed to succeed in a career and in life.

Our mission: to support young people who are committed to changing their lives to become self-sufficient, contributing members of the workforce and their community.

Reynolds Learning Academy exists to provide an academic and hands-on experience that promotes student success, empowerment, and leadership development with regards to academics, personal and professional responsibilities, knowledge of self, professional and technical training in the Trades. We are a certified pre-apprenticeship training program through the Oregon Regional Apprenticeship and Training Council and the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industry.

This course is an introduction to the basic building materials, components, methods, and sequences in residential construction. It is designed to give students basic, entry level skills in construction and related trades along with an overview of career opportunities available. Emphasis is placed on safety and the proper use of both hand and power tools. This course provides students the experience of participating in the building of a house along with various woodworking skill building projects.