Moving from active duty to apprenticeship

One of the biggest challenges facing many U.S. military personnel when returning to civilian life is finding a good job. The Helmets to Hardhats program addresses that problem by connecting transitioning active-duty and reserve members to jobs and training opportunities for good, family-wage jobs in the construction industry.

Participants in the Helmets to Hardhats program can jump to the top of the registration list for apprenticeship programs where they learn a trade through on-the-job training supplemented by classroom instruction at state-of-the-art training facilities. Plus, they can get credit for training and experience they gained while serving in the military. And best of all, like all union apprenticeship programs, participants can earn while they learn.

Check out this video, produced by Chuck Bolland, where Ironworkers Local 86 Business Manager Steve Pendergrass explains how Helmets to Hardhats is working at the construction site of a new medical facility at Joint Base Lewis-McCord near Tacoma to help returning military personnel transition into good jobs in the building trades.

For more information, visit HelmetsToHardhats.org.