Novices may join the union as apprentices and then go through the three-year program, which is offered locally and regionally throughout the country. A complete wallcovering training program entails 144 hours of classroom instruction per year, plus thousands of hours on the job. Richard Hackney, apprenticeship administrator of the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Fund, insisted it's well worth the time, particularly citing Washington, D.C., Boston, and California as areas where busy commercial union contractors are in desperate need of qualified workers. He pointed out that union paperhanger work averages double the wages of non-union. The detailed instruction course covers such areas as mathematics and angles, pre-job inspection, tools, prep, the difference between vinyls and papers, health and safety components, special decorative finishes, and more.
Numerous videos accompany the instruction.
If you're a journeyperson, you can take those same classes under continuing education. It's not just for apprentices. If you've been in the craft for awhile but haven't had formal training, you can come in under an apprenticeship with past credits. High school and adult students are accepted, and all equipment is provided, said wallcovering instructor Hal Jones. All we expect you to bring is a tape measure.