Pre-Apprenticeship & Apprenticeship Resources

An apprenticeship is a training program where you learn a trade or profession through a combination of on-the-job training and formal education while earning a wage. Apprenticeships are competitive and difficult to get for recent high school graduates. Students will become stronger applicants for apprenticeship programs if they: 

• Take CTE classes in high school
• Work/volunteer during the summer in trades-specific work (Habitat for Humanity, for example). 
• Pass high school math classes with at least a C or better
• Demonstrate reliability, maturity and respect in class. As part of a successful apprenticeship application, students will need teachers to write excellent letters of recommendation that include statements about a student:
  • Showing up on time every day (demonstrates reliability)
  • Doing their work and turning it in time (demonstrates responsibility)
  • Demonstrating respect to their teachers and peers (demonstrates a professional work ethic).

• Community Colleges apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs

  All Community Colleges have Career Pathways ranging in length from 3-month certificates to 2-year programs that focus on training students for a specific industry. Some examples:

  PCC's Career Pathway Program Options

  Mt. Hood CC Apprenticeship programs and Partnerships

  Clackamas CC Apprenticeship programs

  Clark College Culinary Arts & Southwestern Oregon Community College Culinary Arts Programs