Who Tracks the Carpenter Apprentice’s Work Hours?To become qualified carpenter to work in the construction, one of the routes you can take is to become an apprentice. Apprentice is a trainee who is taking a program to become a skilled carpenter. Being an apprentice is the best way to get into this field to gain the necessary experience.

 

 

And there’s a certain number of hours required in order to complete the program that typically lasts for 3-4 years. Now, if you’re thinking who tracks the carpenter apprentice’s work hours? Who actually monitors the hours the apprentice exhausted in the field?

It is you, the apprentice, who is in charge for keeping track the work experience hours you spent in the classroom and in the field by filling up the daily work record and attendance form given to you. During the end of each month or on a regular basis, you will then obtain the employer’s signature for verification and submit the form to the union or apprenticeship office that way your record becomes official. The employer may also be responsible also to submit the report to the sponsoring union.

Just like any other job, you will spend 8 hours a day that usually starts at 7 in the morning. But sometimes, when the project is in peak and fast-tracked, the shifts or work schedules differ to get the job done on time. A carpenter apprentice commonly works for 40 hours per regular week.

Now, if you’re wondering if what is the number of hours required to spend in a week and how much time is really needed to complete the whole program?

Keep reading… 

Total Numbers of Hours to Compete the Apprenticeship Program

If you will be taking a carpenter apprenticeship program, the total numbers of hours to complete the program is somewhere around 72,000 or that is an equivalent of four (4) years in length.

These hours are gathered by attending the classroom training which is only 10% of the overall hours while the hands-on training is equivalent to 90% of the total hours of the program.

The apprenticeship program since it is 4 years in duration, it is broken down into 4 terms or that is 1,800 hours per year.
For each term of the program, you are required to finish 120 hours of technical training and 1,700 hours of paid on-the-job training.
In the classroom, you will learn technical aspects of the job such as blueprint reading, understanding the technical drawing, current building codes, material computation, safety and health procedures on-site, present government regulations. While, you also learn related training in other trades such as scaffold erection, concrete, plumbing, electrical, OSHA 10 and 30 safety health and safety training, and other subjects that may be deemed necessary.

 

 

Work Hours Can Also Be Monitored Automated Tracking System & Logbook

The employer or union may employ a computerized tracking system to monitor the number of hours of apprentices work. Such example of this is the TradeSchool which a robust software that does apprentice tracking, it automates the process to produce a detailed report, generate letters, track hours, and monitor grades, worker evaluation, and everything you need for whoever you entered into the system.

If you are taking the program in a union that employs apprenticeship logbooks to ensure proper training and accurate logging of hours, the apprentice will be required to use the logbook as a way to track the attendance and daily work activities on site. This is a simple way for the union to determine if the apprentices in the field are spending the minimum and required hours on-site. The union will collect the logbook in a set schedule every month from the employer for assessment of hours and daily work activities.
For the purpose of monitoring the apprentice daily hours and activities, the union or employer may also utilize filling up of monthly journal report which is to be used together with the daily attendance and work schedule form.

You can show these documents to prospective employers as proof that you have earned a certain number of hours on the job as an apprentice.

What Will You Get After Completing the Required Hours of Apprenticeship Training?

After you have finished the carpenter apprenticeship program, you will now be considered as a journeyman. You have now the options to work for a contractor as a skilled carpenter or put up your own firm as a general contractor offering such service. You have more opportunities than other trades in the construction business.

Aside from the different opportunities, fat paycheck awaits. You can make the salary of a journeyman compared to the wage you were getting when you were still an apprentice which only 30 to 50 percent of the journeyman level.

You also have a better career outlook. According to the report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for skilled carpenters will continue to be in demand until the next coming years. This is due to the growing population triggering new home construction and the boom of the construction industry. If you have earned and completed a carpenter apprenticeship program, you have the best employment opportunities.

Completing the program is a highly rewarding career. There is an amazing variety of opportunities waiting for you out there. You will not be running out of employment in the next coming decades as the demand for skilled carpenters will continue to grow.

 

 

To Finalize This

When it comes to gaining the necessary qualification and furthering your education, being a carpenter apprentice is the sure way to go. After completing such a program, you will be armed with the necessary skills and experience to become licensed carpenters to work for an employer, work towards for a job promotion or start your own contracting business.

There is a required number of training hours in order to complete the apprenticeship program. The tracking of the apprentice’s work experience hours is done by the apprentice himself and by the employer. They are jointly responsible for such a task.

 

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