TRAINING BENEFITS
|
| |
- Formal training programs offer a professional, accredited and clearly defined systematic delivery of critical information and skills required for a qualified workforce.
- Training programs offer a clearly defined path that will attract and retain high-caliber workers.
- Trained employees result in improved productivity and reduced accidents which in turn are more cost-effective for the industry.
- A company that trains is more likely to retain loyal and committed employees who are motivated to help the business succeed.
- Properly trained employees result in less turnover, which reduces overall costs.
- Trained workers are more capable of improving work processes and helping with cost-reduction efforts.
- Increased productivity increases profitability.
- Contractors who train have the competitive advantage.
- A well-trained workforce helps meet demand and improves the overall quality of work in an industry.
|
WECA APPROVED TO TRAIN STATUS
|
| | A Member Contractor can request to be approved to train both State and/or Federal WECA apprentices. Approval to train apprentices is a commitment and responsibility assumed by a contractor, who agrees to abide by the policies, procedures,
rules and regulations established by the State of California Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS) and the Federal Bureau of Apprenticeship Training (BAT) as well as the WECA ATC Training Program Standards and Approval to Train requirements. Please read the entire contents
of this portion of this Handbook; pay particular attention to sections about the required ratio of journeymen to apprentices and the various OJT work processes that an apprentice is to experience while in your employ before you sign the Contractor Signoff and Subscription Agreement.
|
DEFINITION OF "EMPLOYER"
|
| | WECA is not an employment agency. The Association does not guarantee an apprentice employment. The Apprenticeship and Training Committee (ATC) oversees the Apprentice Training and the Electrician Trainee Program; apprentices are indentured to WECA only for training, not for employment. A Member Contractor who may hire and pay WECA apprentices to work on his or her projects - that is, if the contractor is approved by WECA to train them - is their employer.
|
DEFINITION OF "APPRENTICE"
|
| | Federally-registered apprentices - Federally-registered apprentices may only be used on Federal projects, including Davis-Bacon projects, and on State of California Public Work projects that contain any Federal funding.
|
| | The U. S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship Training, Employer and Labor Services (OATELS), has informed the State of California that Federally-registered apprentices must be recognized in California as registered apprentices for the purpose of all Public Work projects funded in whole or part by Federal funds or support. To recap, this means a member contractor may employ Federal apprentices on a State of California Public Work project if any amount of Federal funds support the project.
|
| | Federally-registered apprentices may also be used on State of California Private Work projects but must be paid State of California (Section 208) Private Wage apprentice rates as published by WECA on this Web site. Regarding wages, State wage laws override any Federal apprentice regulations.
|
| | State-registered apprentices - State-registered apprentices must be used on State of California Public Work, Prevailing Wage projects that are fully funded only by State funds. State-registered apprentices may also be used on Federal Davis-Bacon projects which are entirely Federally funded.
|
| | State apprentices must be paid in accordance with the State of California Prevailing Wage law and (Section 208) Private Wage apprentice rates as published by WECA on this Web site.
|
| | WECA has discontinued its Trainee Program. As of the publication of this edition of the Handbook on the WECA Web site, the few trainees currently attending classes are the last to complete their training. These current trainees may apply to become WECA apprentices if they wish.
|
TRAINING COSTS
|
| | WECA apprenticeship training costs are within the Federal and State approved Standards of the occupation and industry. All WECA's currently approved Standards are included in this Handbook and should be thoroughly reviewed. A Benefits and Training Contribution Rate Schedule is also included in the Forms section of this Handbook.
|
COMMENTS OR CONCERNS REGARDING TRAINING APPRENTICES
|
| | Member Contractors may petition the WECA ATC for a hearing in order to address any aspect of their involvement in our Training Programs.
If, after a contractor has given the ATC an opportunity to resolve any disagreement with respect to these member contractor policies, guidelines and rules, he or she is still dissatisfied with the ATC's decision or action, the contractor shall have the right to arbitration. Such arbitration shall be mandatory and shall be the contractor's only forum for appeal. There shall be one arbitrator, mutually agreed to by the contractor and the ATC, whose decision shall be final and binding. All costs connected with arbitration shall be borne by the losing party.
Except as specifically mentioned above, the member contractor hereto agrees to hold the WECA ATC Trustees, the WECA Board of Directors, the WECA Association and any and all merit shop contractors involved with the WECA Training Programs, harmless from any lawsuits, threats of lawsuits, or claims, which shall include but not be limited to legal fees, costs of litigation or alternate dispute resolution costs, and judgments deriving from the contractor's involvement in WECA Training Programs or Association.
|
