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About our program

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Established in 1946, the Kalamazoo Electrical Training Alliance is a great doorway to opportunity.  Apprentices learn skills which can be used throughout their careers.  Today's ambitious apprentices will become the supervisors, contractors, estimators, and superintendents of tomorrow.  They will be instrumental in guiding co-workers and other apprentices to improve their trade skills.

 

Additional Benefits of the KETA program are:

  • Excellent wage rates with guaranteed scheduled increases

  • Paid health insurance

  • Safe working conditions

  • Guaranteed pension benefits

  • Registered with the U.S. Department of Labor & Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training

Mission Statement

The Kalamazoo Electrical Training Alliance’s primary mission is to develop the most skilled, responsible and responsive Electricians and Technicians for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 131 and the National Electrical Contractors Association, Kalamazoo Division, Michigan Chapter. We are dedicated to building professionals who have the expertise, character and sense of teamwork to bring value to the clients they serve, the union they represent and the contractors who employ them.

The Kalamazoo Electrical Training Alliance offers a 5 year apprenticeship program. Our new class of apprentices are selected once a year, typically around June. Apprentices will begin working over the course of the summer and begin the class portion in September. To learn more about becoming a candidate for a possible apprenticeship, please read more about how to become an apprentice down below.

WHAT IS AN APPRENTICE?

An apprentice is a worker who learns a skilled trade through planned, supervised, on-the-job training and related classroom instruction.  An apprentice is a regular part of the work force and earns wages while acquiring important skills.  The length of an apprenticeship programs is up to five years.  At the completion of the program, an apprentice becomes a journeyperson. They are fully qualified to perform the work of the trade and earns full pay for their skill.  An apprenticeship is a chance for you to become a skilled tradesperson and to become a great "natural resource."  The craftsman is the one whom implements the ideas and theories of engineers or scientists.  The craftsman puts those ideas to work in the industry.

An apprenticeship is career preparation.  It not only provides training for a specific job, but it also teaches broad, related skills, which prepare you for employment in an entire industry.  After your apprenticeship, you could move to any part of the country and find a job in the electrical industry, which calls for the skills you learned as an apprentice.  In an apprenticeship you are given the opportunity to develop individual capabilities and independence of judgment.  Labor and management look to the apprenticeship as a training ground for future supervisors, managers, and leaders. 

Being an apprentice or entering into an apprenticeship means, in most cases, you have signed your name to a written agreement.  This written agreement is call an indenture.  The apprenticeship agreement or indenture, is a recognized legal contract, which specifies the responsibilities of the contracting members; the employer, union, registering agency and the apprentice. The indenture must specify:

  • The specific trade to be taught

  • The number of hours of on-the-job training

  • The number of hours of related instruction

why belong to an apprenticeship?

what does it mean to be apprentice?

HOW TO BECOME AN APPRENTICE:

Basic Requirements:
  • ​You must be 17 years old to apply - 18 years old to begin working

  • High school diploma or GED

  • Passing grade of a "C" or higher in Algebra (1 year of H.S. or 1 semester of college) provide proof with an official high school transcript

  • Drug testing will be a condition for employment

  • Desire to work construction in all weather

  • $25.00 Application Fee

What happens next?

After it is determined that you have met the basic requirements, you will be scheduled for an Aptitude Test. You must receive a score of 5 or better (scale of 0-9). If you have achieved at least the minimum score, you will be scheduled for an interview with the Apprenticeship Committee. If you are then selected, you will start work as an electrical apprentice. 

 

the selection process

The Kalamazoo ETA Committee conducts the selection of apprentices for the Electrical Industry.  Member representatives of both management and labor organizations staff this Committee.  The Committee seeks individuals who demonstrate the best character, aptitude, motivation and personality traits conducive to success in the electrical trade.  Apprentice candidates are considered under the equal employment opportunity guidelines.  They are required to participate in standardized testing and are personally interviewed by the KETA.  It is their goal to select candidates who demonstrate reliability and sincere desire. 

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