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10.25.2019

What Is An Apprentice’s Journey Like?

“What’s it like to be an apprentice; what do you even do?” These are questions I’m often asked by high school students at career events, and ones I’ve definitely answered many times before. But what kind of opportunities do students and young adults have to really see what a career in a skilled trade is like? Better question yet, what experiences have their parents had to help show them that this career path as an option, so they feel confident in their child’s choice?

At Faith Technologies, our in-house apprenticeship programs offer our employees the opportunity to learn while they earn. Our apprentices are able to work in their field of study and apply their learning almost immediately, which is very advantageous. To help you learn more, below is a before, during and after overview of our apprentice’s typical educational journey.

  1. Before: At Faith Technologies, there really isn’t a before, because we hire all our entry-level field staff as pre-apprentices. Their first week of employment includes a full week of training, which we call QuickStart. Here our pre-apprentices learn more about the company, expectations, safety and other trade-related content. All of this is delivered in a traditional classroom style, along with hands-on labs and activities. After QuickStart, they’re then assigned to their first project in the field, which could be local to where they were hired, or it might be a travel opportunity across the country. After a couple months of on-the-job-learning, pre-apprentices then go through a second week of QuickStart training to learn additional trade-related content, safety, First Aid/CPR and more in a blend of classroom and lab-style environments.
  2. During: No more than 5-6 months after a pre-apprentice’s hire date, they’re placed into their first official apprenticeship course. The courses are offered in multiple geographic locations across the country, and it doesn’t matter which project they’ve been assigned to; Faith Technologies takes care of any expenses needed to get them back to class. Each course is a full week long and covers a variety of topics such as safety, leadership, testing, theory, application and more. Afterwards, pre-apprentices return to their assigned project for more on-the-job-learning, applying what they’ve explored in class and starting to build their range of trade experience. After another 10 weeks or so of project work, they return to class again, and this cycle will continue throughout the duration of the program: 1 week of class every 10 weeks. After 3-4 years of the program, they’ll have earned either a Journeyman Electrician License or BICSI Technician Certificate. These credentials and completion of classwork enable them to graduate from the program!
  3. After: The “apprentice” part of the journey may be complete, but the path of learning and career development at Faith Technologies never ends. Continuing education is critical to any career and is fostered with plenty of opportunities and specialty tracks. Faith Technologies University is ripe with training options, technology, e-learning and mastery tracks. Combined with our tuition reimbursement benefit, the options are endless! For proof, you can see the career paths of many of Faith’s leaders, including our CEO, Mike Jansen, who began his career with the company as an apprentice.

Interested in learning more about Faith Technologies and our apprenticeship options? Check out our program information here, or reach out to me to educate yourself and learn more!