• Comparative costs

Apprenticeship vs. four years of college

The college tuition below is based on an average of 26 Virginia colleges with four-year programs.

Projections are based on federal cost of living adjustment estimates.

With college you've paid thousands of dollars to earn a degree preparing for a vocation. After graduation you still have to look for a job. Unlike college, you do not have to look for a job upon apprenticeship completion — you already have a job.

After college you may be in debt with a student loan to pay off. Upon apprenticeship completion you are debt-free with regard to schooling and educational training.

• Skilled construction trades

The skilled trades consist of journeypersons and apprentices whose vocations work together building commercial and industrial establishments such as schools, hospitals, warehouses, high-rise buildings, power-generating stations, chemical plants, textile mills, paper mills, cigarette plants, bakeries, breweries and oil refineries.

• Skilled

The word “skilled” has two similar definitions. The first refers to a person being described as skilled, showing a skill or being an expert.

The second refers to a job being skilled, meaning that to accomplish the job the worker must have the appropriate skill or training. Skilled labor then is work that must be accomplished by a person with the proper skill or set of skills. Craft persons attain these skills through apprenticeship.

• Sponsors

Several of the sponsors listed here are located outside the Richmond area. These sponsors, however, offer apprenticeship opportunities in the Richmond area.

Walk-ins are not suggested as the sponsor representatives often have duties outside their offices. It is highly recommended to phone and make an appointment if you desire to visit in person.

On the following pages "TC" denotes that the sponsor has its own individual training center, some of which resemble small construction sites.