RCAP
What is the Residential Construction Apprentice Program (RCAP)?
If you like the challenge of learning a new skill, if you have a good aptitude, and if you like to earn while you learn, an apprentice training program could be for you!
- Classroom study –4hours, 1evening–9months –Fort Smith Public School Calendar (August 2024–May 2025) Peak Innovations Center.
- On the Job Training –Full-time employment –2,000 hours per year. Total of 4,000 hours.
- Competitive wages –At first you will make less than a skilled worker, as you progress, you’ll receive a raise. Rate of pay established, prior to enrollment with all RCAP employers. Range: $12-20 per hour; same rate of pay to all RCAP enrollees.
Ready to Get Started?
If you are interested in participating in the Residential Construction Apprenticeship Program, please fill out the Student Enrollment Application form and email it to: hba@fortsmithhomebuilders.com
Essential Components of Apprenticeship Training:
- Apprenticeship is a training strategy that combines supervised, structured on-the-job training with related instruction.
- Sponsored by GFSHBA employers –this is a basic requirement for Apprenticeship programs, without the job, there is no on-the-job training. On-the-job training represents 90% of the program.
- Provides quality related instruction. Related instruction is theoretical and technical and is provided by a licensed educator and/or a qualified individual in the profession. Apprentices are required to participate in a minimum of 144 hours of related instruction a year.
- Skilled Training –Prepares people for skilled employment by conducting training in a verified employment setting.
Regulations:
Apprenticeship is a training strategy with requirements clearly stated in federal and state laws and regulations. The National Apprenticeship Act of 1937 (also known as the Fitzgerald Act) provides guidance from the federal level. Washington Administrative Code, Chapter 296-05, provides additional state requirements. These regulations establish minimum requirements for apprenticeship standards, such as:
- The length of training
- Type and amount of related instruction
- Supervision of the apprentice
- Appropriate ratios of apprentices to journey workers
- Apprentice selection and recruitment procedures
Credential:
Apprenticeship is a training strategy that leads to a Certificate of Completion and officially recognized craftsman status. The completion certificates are issued by the Arkansas State Apprenticeship and Training Council. These credentials are nationally recognized.
Also required is the approval and monitoring of the program by the Department of Labor and Industries. When employers desire to start or modify an apprentice program, Labor and Industries provides technical assistance.
Investment in Education:
Apprentices are expected to manage their time, keep work records, and attend classes and progress in their apprenticeship training program. An apprentice may also be required to pay for tuition and/or books. The employer investment includes allowing time for the apprentice to complete related instruction and paying the wages of the apprentice while training on the job, under the supervision of a skilled craftsman.
Earn & Learn:
Apprenticeship is training strategy that pays wages to apprentices during the term of their apprenticeships. These wages are a portion of the skilled wage rate. The entry wage must average no less than 50 percent of the journeyman rate of pay for the occupation and must be above minimum wage rate.
Supervised Training:
Apprenticeship is a training strategy in which participants learn by working directly under the supervision of skilled workers, mentors or craftsmen in the occupation.
Apprentice Agreement:
Apprenticeship is a training strategy that involves a written agreement between the apprentice and either the apprentice’s employer(s), or an apprenticeship committee acting as agent for employer(s), containing the terms and conditions of the employment and training of the apprentice.