Join New Jersey’s
Pathways To Apprenticeship

Don’t let obstacles get in the way of your future success. Join P2A now and begin your journey toward a rewarding career in the construction industry today!

our classes

Getting Started

Your career could start with a certified apprenticeship program.*

P2A is a pre-apprenticeship program that provides recruitment, training, and mentorship to individuals from communities that have faced obstacles in their career paths. Our focus is to provide opportunities to formerly incarcerated and other justice-involved individuals, people on public assistance, and people who live in public housing. With P2A, you will be trained to be accepted into and succeed in construction union apprentice programs.

*Union construction apprenticeships open up at different times during the year, some only once per year, others only once every 2 or 3 years.

Each union has its own schedule and its own rules for how to apply for its apprenticeship program:

  • Some are ON-LINE (like the Laborers, Local 55) – online recruitments are generally over in under 2 minutes.
  • Some have PAPER APPLICATIONS that are handed out at the Union office. People often line up outside the Union office days in advance.
  • Some unions (like the Sheet Metal Workers and Boilermakers) give a reading and math test at the time of application and will only call back people who
    score well.

Knowledge

Our Classes

P2A holds full-time (8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) 4 – 5 week Direct Entry, Pre-Apprenticeship classes.*

* Classes are approved by the New Jersey State Department of Labor.

Classes train and place graduates into Building Trades Union Apprenticeship programs and will cover:

  • New Jersey building trades work readiness skills
  • OSHA 30, Scaffold, Flagging certifications
  • Visits to building trades training facilities
  • Math and Reading Comprehension Skills
  • Physical Conditioning and Strength Building

Experience

Requirements

You Must Be Able To Meet These Requirements

A union construction career is a solid pathway to a stable and comfortable middle-class life. Wages can start at over $50,000/year plus health insurance and retirement benefits.

Here are the requirements to join:

  • New Jersey Residency
  • Have A High School Diploma or GED/TASC
  • Be Able to Lift and Carry 50lbs.
  • Be Able to Work Outside, In All Weather
  • Be Drug-free
  • Commitment to Attend All Classes on Time Every Day (Monday-Friday; 8:30 am to 4:00 pm)

Opportunity

Benefits

Hard work deserves a living wage. That is what we provide, now and always.

With union construction careers, you can earn a starting wage of over $50,000 per year, plus health insurance and retirement benefits – providing a solid foundation for a stable and comfortable middle-class life.

By joining P2A, you’ll enjoy a variety of benefits, including:

  • Weekly Stipend
  • Building Trades Workforce Readiness Training
  • Visits to Union Training Centers
  • OSHA 30, Scaffold, and Flagger Safety Certifications
  • Personal Protective Equipment
  • Interviews with Building Trades Union Apprenticeship Programs

Have Questions

Here is a list of questions most of our participants asked before working with us.

No, our services are totally free of charge to our participants.

The building trades unions are looking for members who are timely, honest, reliable, and who work hard. There are many successful building trades workers with criminal records – this is not an obstacle in any way.

Each building trades union has its apprenticeship program and these programs open up at varying times throughout the year. Some open up only once yearly – others open up once every 2 or 3 years. Building trades unions only admit new apprentices when they know there will be enough work for them.

P2A issues an update on apprenticeship openings about once per month, which is posted on the website.

Most union construction apprenticeships require that candidates have their high school diploma or a high school equivalency (HSE) diploma (an HSE is a test that used to be the GED, now it is called the TASC).

There are many agencies that can help you prepare for and take the TASC test. The TASC test is a challenge but if you pass one section and fail another section, you can re-take the section that you failed on a subsequent day. A few of the building trades (such as the Cement and Concrete Workers) require only the 10th grade.

P2A helps people get into union apprenticeship programs (not jobs). These apprenticeship programs will lead to careers – not just a job.