A pair of apprenticeship grants through the city of Scranton will help local unions train future carpenters and electrical workers.
The Carpenters’ Apprentice Ready Program (CARP), operated by the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (EAS Carpenters Union), 314 Pear St., Scranton, and the Scranton Electricians Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) program from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 81, 431 Wyoming Ave., Scranton, each received $25,000 in grant funding, city officials announced in a news release.
“These local apprenticeships provide training, personal equipment, and teaching materials so we can kickstart the next generation of union careers in Scranton,” Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti said in the release.
Starting in mid-September, five apprentices completed eight weeks of CARP classes in Scranton after the program was previously only available in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, officials said. Through the program, students learn the pre-apprenticeship basics of cutting, measuring and fastening materials. They may also participate in a 20-week state-approved apprenticeship group, which can be completed over four years, upon finishing the CARP classes.
“We’re looking for people to nurture and develop through these programs, and this is the perfect way to do it,” Mike Sweitzer, training coordinator at the Carpenters Apprenticeship and Training Fund with EAS Carpenters Union said in the release.
Scranton CARP classes are planned for each spring and fall, beginning in 2025, officials said.
Drew Simpson, regional manager of the EAS Carpenters Union who also serves on the Lackawanna County Workforce Development Board, noted the grant funding will help cover administrative costs, and essential tool kits for program graduates.
Additionally, the funding supports the JATC’s four-year program consisting of 720 hours of instruction and 8,000 hours of on-the-job training, per the release. Classes typically start in late August and end in May, officials said.
The JATC instruction, held each week at 4 East Skyline Drive, South Abington Twp., includes work in telecommunications wiring, fiber optics and power quality, per the release. Through the program, apprentices earn the equivalent of 47 semester hours of college credits, according to the American Council of Education.
Teri Ooms, executive director of The Institute, a regional data analysis, research and consulting organization, believes the apprenticeship program will help fill a void in the local workforce.
“There is definitely a need for individuals to get into the trades and the trades provide family-sustaining wages,” she said. “A large number of (people) in the trades have started to retire and will continue to retire for the next decade, and they need to be replaced. We already hear construction companies talking about the fact that they can’t find employees that have these skills, so it’s extremely critical we meet this need.”
Ooms added the apprenticeship programs offer a pathway to a successful career without attending college.
“We tend to forget there is a core group of individuals who are not ready for a four-year degree or don’t want a four-year degree, but there is economic opportunity with some additional training beyond high school,” she said.