Olivia likes to watch things being built from the ground up that people use every day like buildings and bridges. Her position as a second-year apprentice as a welder with Piledrivers 1847 lets her do just that. “I get a lot of bigger opportunities working in a union.” She credits the welding certificates she has been able to complete as part of her apprenticeship for her steady work. She loves to travel and has been able to travel for work ... View Article

Meet Brandy - A Laborer's apprentice. In her previous job as a certified nursing assistant, Brandy met lots of union workers on the Line 3 project who spoke highly about the building and construction trades. She decided to research working in the trades and is now a Laborer’s apprentice. “I have jackhammered on the Blatnik bridge in Duluth and worked on bridges by Two Harbors.” She has also learned enough about carpentry to build her ... View Article

Chevy Gonzales is a 5th year sheet metal apprentice who loves to work on architectural composite panels. Working high up and being able to see the skyline of Minneapolis is a pretty big thrill. Chevy says a great part of being an apprentice is being able to learn the tricks of the trade from Journeymen and women. “I want to be able to pass along what I’ve learned to other apprentices. It's great to attain this knowledge and know that, yes, I ... View Article

It's National Apprenticeship Week!
Meet Morris Bell - A laborer's apprentice. Morris was a forklift operator at Menards when he heard about a program call Building Strong Communities. BSC is a free, multi-trade apprenticeship readiness program that educates participants about the unionized construction industry. He had heard about the union, the benefits and pay from family members and decided to see if it would work for him. BSC helped ... View Article