Information For Apprentices

Current Apprentices

•  Apprentice classes begin the week of September 10th.

•  Payment for classes is due no later than October 19th.

Prospective Apprentices

• Apprenticeship is a federal program.

• The United States Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship, is the registering agency of Apprentices in New Jersey.

• A Licensed Master Plumber or trade union whose business is based in New Jersey may sponsor full time employees as Apprentices.

• An employer should contact the County Apprenticeship Coordinator to register employees as Apprentices.

• County Apprenticeship Coordinators are located in each county (typically in the county vocational school) to facilitate Apprentice registration and coordinate Apprenticeship programs in their respective counties.

• An Apprentice is not registered until all original forms are processed and approved by the United States Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship (OA).

• Sponsors of five or more Apprentices are required to form a Joint Apprenticeship Committee (JAC).

Apprenticeship in Brief

Apprenticeship involves two major training components: 1) on-the-job training (OJT) by the Sponsor and, 2) related instruction coursework by an approved provider.

On-the-Job Training (OJT)

• The Sponsor provides on-the-job training for the Apprentice by designating full time employees as Trainers who:
  
  • Are skilled mechanics or Journeyworkers
  • May or may not hold a License

• Sponsors are provided a Work Process by the OA, which:
  
  • Is free‑of‑charge
  • Outlines skills the Apprentice is to acquire over the course of the Apprenticeship while working solely within the job classification.

• OJT is a full-time paid activity for the Apprentice throughout the program.

Related Instruction

• At a minimum, an Apprentice is to complete 144 hours of classroom instruction per year during the Apprenticeship.\
  • The sponsor may increase the minimum.
  • Academic and attendance requirements of the educational institution must also be met.

• The County Apprenticeship Coordinator customizes a Course Array to meet the related instruction component and Sponsor needs.

Credit for prior coursework is to be determined by the County Apprenticeship Coordinator. For Apprentices attending Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools, official transcripts are to be mailed by the educational institution to:

Bruce Negri, County Apprenticeship Coordinator
Middlesex Co. Vo-Tech Schools
112 Rues Lane, East Brunswick, NJ 08816-1070

Credit will not be approved for coursework taken during the Apprenticeship unless approved in advance of registration by the County Apprenticeship Coordinator