In the early part of the 20th Century, a system of trade education was needed in America. The Fitzgerald Act of 1937 allowed BAT to become a permanent agency of the U.S. Department of Labor. The establishment of these national agencies contributed greatly to the rebirth of apprenticeship in America. Here in Washington, a State Apprenticeship Council was established in 1939 to oversee our state s apprenticeship system. The Department of Labor and Industries apprenticeship section is the administrative arm for the council.
Most programs take three to five years to complete.
Our state has more than 300 occupations with apprenticeship standards, but by far the largest number of apprentices work in the unionized Building and Construction Trades. We in organized labor are doing all we can to insure that apprenticeship is used more often as the model training system for our state s future workforce development needs. Our efforts to dispel myths and demonstrate labor's committed to training have been recognized by the governor and other workforce development leaders in our state. Two recent studies conducted by The Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board and the Department of Employment Security found apprenticeship the most effective and underutilized job training program in our state. There have been many factors that have led to the new spotlight on apprenticeship, and organized labor has been at the forefront of most new promotional initiatives and activities and will continue to do so.