Journeyman shortage

Apprenticeship recruiters face a difficult job these days as they seek to convince young people that even though construction jobs are scarce, far better days may be just over the horizon as a graying generation of workers begins to retire.

The recruitment job is getting more urgent as baby boomer retirements loom larger.

The reality for the construction trades apprenticeship programs is much different today than three or four years ago. Not long ago the trades were begging for young people to become carpenters, electricians, ironworkers, operating engineers, painters, cement masons, plumbers and pipefitters, sheet metal workers and maintenance engineers.

The trades both union and non-union are still beckoning despite the fact they are not accepting as many neophytes into the construction crafts today as before the economic hurricane struck in 2007.

The jobs are still there, just not in as many numbers. And for a few of the crafts, the prospects are dire.

At the same time, however, the construction industry faces pressure to get new apprentices trained and ready to fill a looming gap as trained journeymen.

As the older workers begin to retire, there are fewer journeymen to step in and take their place as supervisors or foremen.

Bob Alessandrelli has what he considers a wonderful job. As a recruiter for the unionized construction crafts, he gets to go into the high schools, vocational schools, Job Corps camps, and other venues extolling the virtues of the construction industry where one learns that getting one's hands dirty is a badge of honor and rewarding as well.

Today, despite the downturn, Alessandrelli continues to preach the construction industry gospel in schools where there are metal shops, wood shops, auto shops and the like. "For the kids still in high school or in one of the charter or vocational schools, we just let them know there are options for them upon graduation should they choose not to go to college," he says.

A recent recruiting brochure calls out to young people who may still be in high school, in a vocational technical school, and younger adults who are seeking a career where they can make a decent living wage for themselves and their family.

"Learn a trade. Have a career. Enjoy a productive and profitable life. Be able to apply your skills anywhere in the country, should you move."

For adults, Alessandrelli provides a dose of reality. "We tell them there are good-paying jobs in their future with excellent benefits," he says. "But we also let them know that in this economy, the jobs are fewer in numbers, and they are more competitive."

The recruitment program is jointly funded by Nevadaworks and the Western Apprenticeship Coordinators Association (WACA). A similar effort is promoted by the Associated Builders and Contractors, a non-union group. Both entities seek to bring in people new to the construction trades, get them through the four- to five-year apprenticeship programs, and have them gain journeyman status.

Greg Smith is the president of the Northern Nevada Joint Apprenticeship Committee of WACA. He is also the administrator of the Operating Engineers Local 3 in Northern Nevada, a trade union that provides heavy equipment operators and mechanics.

Statewide, Smith says three years ago, union and non-union shops had nearly 15,000 apprentices working to learn their craft. Today, that number is down to 5,500. While the starting pay scale may range from $11 or $12 an hour for laborers and painters, and upwards of $15 an hour for other crafts, once journeyman status has been achieved, those individuals can expect to earn well into the $30-an-hour range.

Not all who enter an apprenticeship program make it through, though.

"The dropout rate is highest in the laborer category," says Smith. "It's around 50 percent, but only around 20 percent in the other crafts. Most who drop out do so within the first few months. The apprentices who drop out soon find out it's not what they want to do for the rest of their lives. They may not like working in the cold or the heat or the dust and wind. For whatever reason, those young people move on."

Also somewhat unsettling, Smith says, are the increasing number of people who have difficulty with schedules set by the trades or with interpersonal conflict. He says one of the hallmarks of a successful apprenticeship program is that a young individual will still make mistakes, but demonstrates a willingness to learn from those who have worked in that trade for years. "The journeymen we have know their role is also that of a mentor to the younger people trying to learn the craft," says Smith. "Our advice to apprentices is to keep your ears open and your mouths shut. We do have those that tend to run their mouth and get into trouble, and when that happens, the would-be mentors close the door on them just by nature. It's tough work. And it can be dangerous and our expectations of the apprentices are very high."

Still, Smith finds it disconcerting when he loses even one apprentice.

"I had one young man in the operating engineers program who told me he didn't realize he would have to be at work at 7 a.m. every single day. He said he just didn't want to do that," Smith says. "I don't know if it's a generational thing, but it is troubling."

One reason is that due to the difficult economy and the potential for some of the unions to possibly change terms of their pension plans, some journeymen workers are looking at either early retirement or, if they have enough time in service, regular retirement.

"It is an issue. Because the economy is so bad today, we have people out there who could retire today and are saying the hell with it," says Smith. "That's ok, I guess. But the gap is widening between them and those who are coming up behind them. We simply don't have enough journeymen on the boards who are capable of filling our industry's needs for the next decades should the economy pick up."

Alan Darney is administrator for the electricians union apprenticeship program in Reno. Today, he has just a little over 70 apprentice electricians, but 25 percent are unemployed due to the slowdown. "We already have a gap existing but haven't taken in adequate number of apprentices to fill in when those journeymen do leave," he says.

"We have not brought in one apprentice this year. My biggest concern is the void of experience if more journeymen do decide to retire," Darney says. "We could double the size of our apprenticeship program right now and still not be able to keep up with those who will retire in the next few years. Problem is, though, we just don't have work for them."