Utilization for the Future: Local Community Organization Helps Train Next Generation of Skilled Labor

For Jake Richards shop class was what compelled him to go to school every morning. So when Richards heard he could enter into an apprenticeship program right out of high school, the opportunity was irresistible.

Richards was afforded a chance to enter into an apprenticeship program directly from high school through an agreement brokered by the Spokane Alliance. The agreement required that for every $5 million spent on the proposed $165 million project, the contractor had to hire a Spokane City School student to work on the job through an apprenticeship program.

Previous to his acceptance in the apprenticeship program, Richards had considered attending a technical school to learn his trade; this training can cost upwards of $30,000 a year. However, by entering into an apprenticeship program directly out of high school, Richards was able to gain a position that provided a living wage and benefits without incurring any large debt. 

With the passage of SB 5873 this year, apprentice utilization has been strengthened and solidified. Although contractors are not yet required to hire a minimum number of apprentices, the bill expands apprenticeship utilization standards to public universities.    

Meeting With Senator Brown on Olympia Day

Jeremy Utley, who traveled to Olympia to lobby for the legislation as part of the Spokane Alliance, represents the Sheet Metal Workers Local 66.

“We flooded Olympia,” Utley said. “They definitely knew we were there.”

This was not the first time that Alliance members had rallied for apprenticeship utilization. In 2005, to assist in the passage of a utilization bill addressing construction work on state buildings, Alliance members secured commitments from a number of legislators.

“We build momentum every time we go,” Utley said.  

Apprenticeship utilization has become important for many due to the realization that a large percentage of skilled workers will be retiring soon and that a new workforce will have to be prepared to step in. However, for Richards and others, apprenticeship utilization is not only about a robust workforce, it gives young people a chance to exhibit talents not commonly appreciated in the classroom.

Traditional higher education did not appeal to Richards, and it was more than just the prospect of financial debt that turned him off. Richards had always had enjoyed working with his hands no matter what the material was, so the idea of sitting in lectures was not an exciting proposition.       

“I don’t know what else I would be doing; I couldn’t sit at a desk all day,” Richards said.

Just after his acceptance into the apprenticeship program, Richards was able to practice his skills in architectural metal at his own high school—North Central High School.

Richards began work just after he graduated in June 2005, and started at $10 an hour with benefits. Besides being able to work with his hands and make a living wage, the opportunity allowed Richards to pursue a dream that many young people have put on hold indefinitely—buying his own home.

“My own home was something I wanted from the beginning,” Richards said. 

Richards realizes, however, that much more than his own quality of life is at stake here. Increasing apprenticeship utilization is important to help increase the size of the skilled labor pool, and create new skilled laborers to take the place of a vacuum left by retiring baby boomers, explained Richards. In addition to the concerns over a skilled labor force, the apprenticeship programs in the trades are seen as crucial for students that are not interested in academics or traditional classroom learning.    

“I know a lot of guys, that if it wasn’t for shop, they wouldn’t come to school,” Richards said.