DEAR JOYCE: My son expects to be returning from Iraq soon. He entered military service straight from high school and isn't really a scholar. He prefers to work with his hands. Ideas? -- J.J.
Apprenticeship is a formally structured program designed to give trainees A-to-Z knowledge of a particular occupation -- usually a trade. More than 1,000 career choices can be entered through apprenticeship, including carpenter, chef, dental assistant, electrician, law enforcement agent and welder.
The big deal with apprenticeship is that trainees get paid while they learn, and program sponsors typically help them find jobs after graduation. For job security and an attractive career, the formal apprenticeship gets an "A" in my rating system.
Trainees start out earning about half of what journeyworkers (program graduates) are paid, with raises every six months or so. Apprenticeship training can be shorter than one year or as long as six years, with most trades requiring four to six years.
The United Association Veterans in Piping is an example of a desirable apprenticeship; trainees learn the trade of welding in either a four- or five-year time frame organized by the United Association, a large, well-established union with a big network throughout the United States and Canada. This particular apprenticeship program is designed to assist members of the military move into the civilian workforce with good jobs.
The program includes 16 weeks of accelerated welding training. The United Association works with employing contractor groups, such as the Mechanical Contractors Association of America and the National Association of Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors.
In spreading the word about its new program for vets, the UA emphasizes that welding is an opportunity for women as well as men. Learn lots of interesting details and read true success stories on the program's Web site, uavip.org.
To clarify: Apprentices are hired by employers, not by labor unions. Some apprenticeship programs are operated by employers and labor unions in partnership, but the employer partner signs the paychecks. Some programs are organized by employers alone or by labor unions alone.
Find out much more about options and advantages in apprenticeships for any high school graduate -- military vet or not -- by visiting the federal Office of Apprenticeship's Web site, doleta.gov/oa.
DEAR JOYCE: The woman at the next desk has been coughing all morning. Can the company make her go home? -- M.T.