HARRISBURG, June 9, 2015 – Before a sea of colored t-shirts donned by union apprentices, state Sen. Christine Tartaglione once again celebrated the 5th Annual Apprenticeship Awareness Day today in the Capitol Rotunda.

Known throughout Pennsylvania as a leading supporter of labor unions, Tartaglione said apprentices are learning great skills that will help turn around local and regional economies.

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“From our roads and bridges to our building structures, we have a lot of work to do if we want Pennsylvania to remain competitive nationally and globally,” Tartaglione said. “The apprentices, workers, coordinators and instructors standing with me here are the ones who are going to help us achieve this.

“They are the heartbeat of this commonwealth and they represent our future progress.”

Apprenticeship Awareness Day is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Apprentice Coordinators Association. Apprentice programs are operated by the Pennsylvania State Building & Construction Trades Council.

While the pay for apprentices is somewhat less than that of “journeymen,” PACA says apprentices receive pay increases as they advance through their programs. Some increases happen every six months or every year.

The state Department of Labor and Industry says there are about 11,000 active apprenticeships in Pennsylvania; about 7,700 of those are in a construction-related trade.

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