From October 23 – 27, District Council 50 participated in National Apprenticeship Week. In preparation for the annual event, career counselors and outreach programs had the opportunity to tour training facilities of the various trades to see what apprentices are learning. A two-day construction career event was held at Aloha Stadium for high school students, and Hawaii Governor Ige gave a proclamation.
These events highlighted the fact that apprenticeship programs are not just for those that don’t have a chosen career path. The industry is changing dramatically and so has the quality of our members. We need to always remember where we came from and pass down our knowledge to the next generation. This will help keep our trades healthy by creating opportunities and supporting our families.
The Local Union 1791 (Honolulu, Hawaii) painting apprenticeship program, for example, currently has 260 apprentices, of which 130 are taking courses at Honolulu Community College, while this semester alone, 40 neighbor island apprentices are utilizing the Learning Management System (LMS).