Fast Facts

• Local unions are operating a 5-year apprenticeship model that includes paid job training and classroom instruction, with the flexibility to mold the training to meet local need
• Nationally, UA members can enroll in community college courses online, earning credit from anywhere in the country
• The UA spends about $220 million per year on local and national training activities

AFL-CIO Partnerships: An Introduction    

AFL-CIO affiliated unions and community colleges have a long history of partnering to provide workers the opportunity to earn college credit while gaining the necessary technical skills through apprenticeships. While the specific partnerships are as unique as the numerous trade unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO, generally they enable participants to simultaneously work on a journeyman card and earn college credit toward an associate’s degree in Science or Applied Science.

Across the entire labor movement, the most extensive and institutionalized partnerships are between building and construction trade unions, their local Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committees (JATCs), composed of labor and management members who oversee training programs for apprentices and journeyman-level workers, and community colleges.

The Program

These partnerships function on both the local and national level. One successful model by an AFL-CIO union is with the United Association of the Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA), whose members are engaged in the fabrication, installation and servicing of piping systems. The UA has partnerships with community colleges throughout the country, including local level partnerships that enable UA apprentices to receive college credit and a nationwide partnership that allows participants to enroll from anywhere in the country and take courses online toward an associate’s degree or to stay current on the latest technology.

How the Local Partnerships Work

In local UA partnership arrangements, individual unions develop agreements with local community colleges, enabling workers to receive college credit as they progress through a five-year apprenticeship program. If a participant enrolls in community college while engaged in an apprenticeship, the worker can emerge from the program with both a journeyman card and an associate’s degree. Some local UA partnerships of note are taking place at Owens Community College in Ohio, Empire State College in New York, Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana and Black Hawk Community College in Illinois.

The five-year apprenticeship period is divided into one-year segments, each of which includes 1,700 to 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training and a minimum of 246 hours of related classroom instruction. All UA apprentices receive a strong general education, with core courses in basics such as mathematics, science, drafting, welding and other pipe trades related courses. Then, at a certain point, apprentices can choose a specific path to follow to be trained as a journeyman plumber, pipefitter, sprinkler fitter and HVACR service technician. 

Local unions have the flexibility to mold their apprenticeship, skill training and journeyman upgrading activities to conform to local economic conditions, while the international union provides guidance and maintains apprenticeship standards.

How the National Partnership Works

At the national level, Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan is charting a model for nationwide participation. Members of the UA, both apprentices and journeyman workers, can enroll in Washtenaw and take courses online toward an associate’s degree.

Washtenaw Community College offers more than 45 classes online and has two full-time staff members who work with the union and counsel prospective students. UA apprentices and journeyman-level workers may receive up to 32 hours of credit from the courses taken in the joint apprenticeship program.

In addition, Washtenaw Community College and the UA operate an annual teacher training event that ensures the quality of the instruction provided by UA teachers, which enables the union and its Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committees (JATCs) to stay current with the latest technology in the piping industry.   

“I believe that the Washtenaw Community College partnership works best for us. At a national level, we can offer a degree that is affordable, and is easy for our members to access from anywhere in the US and Canada.”

 - Cathy Merkel, UA Registrar

Benefits

Students have the opportunity to earn an associate’s degree from a community college while they are going through their apprenticeship program and being paid for their work on the job. College credit and a degree in particular, enhances a union member’s career prospects by opening the possibility of moving into supervisory roles or starting their own businesses. The combination of a degree and trade skills ensures American workers are ready to meet the demands of a 21^st century economy.

Community colleges benefit from this model as the UA becomes a source of new students, and some apprenticeship instructors are hired by the community college as teachers.

“Attending and graduating in 2009 from both the National Labor College and Washtenaw Community College meant fulfilling a life-long dream of earning a college degree.”

- Brian Kelly, Business Agent, Pipefitters Local 537, Boston, Massachusetts

Results

In 2011, the UA had 36,400 apprentices in its joint training programs across the U.S. and Canada. Nearly 400 UA members have received an associate’s degree from Washtenaw Community College, and many more degrees have been awarded through other partnerships. Overall, the UA spends about $220 million per year for local training programs and national training activities.

Skills for America's Future (SAF) is a non-partisan, employer-led initiative of the Aspen Institute. It is focused on creating a national network of partnerships among employers, community colleges, industry associations and other stakeholders. These partnerships are designed to ensure that American workers receive the necessary training to meet the skill needs of employers, giving them the opporunity to obtain and keep good jobs. 

For more information about how your company can partner with community colleges and Skills for America's Future, contact Rene Bryce-Laporte at rene.bryce-laporte@aspeninst.org