Frequently Asked Questions

Please contact our office ( 715-228-4911) for individual and group tour information.

The majority of the classes are at the training center.

See current apprentice information for classes currently required by the apprenticeship program. Apprentices may take any classes provided their related instruction requirement is met.

To be an apprentice, you must be hired by a contractor. There is NO training before they start as an apprentice.

Apprentices start their jobs before coming to school. Normally they work the entire summer before coming to do the classroom portion of their schooling. Their employer's are registered trainers with the State of Wisconsin and are required to instruct them in operating procedures. Journey-worker Operators are their mentors.

Apprentices come to courses at the training site during the winter and spring, when they are normally laid-off. They must take 1 two week course and 2 one-week courses per year. There are specific courses they must take each year. You can find the list of currently required courses under "course information" above.

A valid driver's license is required. An occupational license is acceptable.

No. Applicants who have met the minimum requirements to be an apprentice are given a "Letter of Eligibility" to take with them when they apply for jobs with contractors. They should make copies of the "Letter of Eligibility" to leave with their job applications. If an employer wants to hire them, the employer then fills out the back of the "Letter of Eligibility". This starts the paperwork rolling for the person to begin their apprenticeship if the apprenticeship is open.

It is the apprentice’s responsibility to sign up for their required courses. They may arrange their courses in any manner they wish as long as they take the courses required each year and the courses are still available. Early sign-up is essential.

Applications will be available at information sessions. Please contact the training center to register. The Wisconsin Bureau of Apprenticeship and the JAC reserves the right to adjust the schedule.

The only cost associated with the application process is a fee for the Job Skills Test.

Per the Wisconsin Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards the following is our policy language on this topic: "All apprentices must be high school graduates, from a state accredited or state approved school, have a GED or High School Equivalency Certificate. High school transcript or proof of equivalency must be provided to the Committee on request. An apprentice must be 18 years of age to be placed with a contractor. WI Statute 118.15 (4), states that “instruction in a home-based private educational program that meets all of the criteria under s. 118.165 (1) may be substituted for attendance at a public or private school.” Providers of the instruction must file form PI-1206 “Home-Based Private Educational Program” annually with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). This form may be used as proof of instruction."