Do you want to learn one of the many crucial skills needed to build skyscrapers, homes, roads, or bridges?

The majority of apprentices in Washington State work in the construction and building trades industry. In fact, there are currently over 9,000 apprentices working in construction! There are opportunities for apprenticeships in careers ranging from plumber/pipefitter to construction equipment operator to painter to sheet metal worker to cement mason… and many, many more.

Here’s how to learn more:

Building for a Lifetime shows the many opportunities for education, training, and apprenticeships in the construction industry.

The Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council offers a great video about apprenticeships in the construction field.

Renton Technical College’s Construction Center of Excellence offers many resources for students, including a curriculum on “construction math.”

Construction apprenticeships give many opportunities to learn high-demand skills. But instead of listing all the opportunities, let’s listen to a few apprentices about what their jobs are like:

Here’s what Tami St. Paul says about her construction apprenticeship:

“I was a heavy-equipment operator. I used dirt equipment, front-loaders and 'dozers and backhoes. Then I ran cranes and boom trucks [smaller cranes]. There was this readerboard running through my head: ‘I was so born to do this, this is so much fun.’”

And here’s what Matt Lininger, a cement mason, says about his apprenticeship:

“When I finish working at the end of the day I can take pride knowing what I have done will be here for the next 100 years.”