Apprenticeships and Training

Best in the world for a reason

What is so significant about a Registered Apprenticeship?

Registered apprenticeship programs are approved and validated by the U.S. Department of Labor, meaning strict standards are the same across the country. Companies look to hire graduates of registered apprenticeship programs because of the quality guarantee that comes from that status.

Why do apprenticeship protections matter to me?

The UA maintains the gold-standard registered apprenticeship and training program in the piping industry. When we work with Congress on federal funding for projects, we can then advocate for apprentice hiring requirements and strong labor protections that protect our status and create UA jobs.

How does the UA fight to protect our apprenticeship and training programs?

We work with both parties in Congress to protect our gold-standard registered apprenticeship and training program and ensure federally-funded projects have apprentice hiring requirements. When anti-union politicians try to undercut our standards and implement weaker industry recognized apprenticeship programs (IRAPs), we mobilize and shut them down in their tracks.

Director of Education and Training Ray Boyd

Appointed by President Joe Biden to the Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship at the Department of Labor, Director Boyd brought the voice of UA members and the men and women who build this nation to a critical advisory board.

The federal government and employers of all sizes all turn to the UA for guidance on the registered apprenticeship system – because they know our gold-standard program is the model for all others.

The UA is proud to invest more than $275m in private funds each year in our training and apprenticeship programs. Thanks to that commitment,

UA members are the best trained and most highly skilled craftspeople in the world,

which is why we fight tirelessly in Washington to protect and strengthen our registered apprenticeship program.

When our opponents tried to implement Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs) in an effort to weaken apprenticeship standards, UA members mobilized to protect our model. More than 70,000 UA members submitted letters to the federal government opposing the dangerous IRAP model, and we successfully defeated those efforts during the first Trump administration.

But the fight never stops.

During the 119th Congress, our opponents tried once again to bring back a federal rulemaking that would weaken registered apprenticeships and promote IRAPs. We mobilized again, and we won again.

Our Department works closely with our allies in Congress to stop these attacks before they happen and make sure the UA registered apprenticeship program remains the gold-standard in our industry.