Frequently Asked Questions

A Construction Craft Worker (CCW) is part of a team, working in North America’s largest Industry, “The Construction Industry”. The skills of a CCW are diverse, requiring classroom instruction and hands-on training. Because of this diversity, the CCW is often the first craft on the project and the last to leave. To be an experienced CCW requires physical strength, reading and math skills as well as the ability to make decisions efficiently. A CCW needs to be able to work on his or her own or as a team player to get the job done.

The type of work will depend on your knowledge and skill level for the completion of the portion of the project. You may build or repair roads, highways, bridges and tunnels, construct commercial buildings and perform other types of work. Many of the tasks that you may be doing are building scaffold, site preparation, site cleanup, laying underground sewer pipe, placing and finishing concrete, traffic control on a project or street and tending to other trades on site, just to name a few.

You enter the trade as an “apprentice”, learning skills in the classroom and on the job. While an apprentice you learn many of the skills by attending a minimum of 240 hours a year of classroom training. Then you practice those skills with a skilled journey worker for on the job training for a total of 2400 hours-earning a wage while learning the trade.

You will work on a team whose number one goal is to complete the project safely, on time and efficiently, under the guidance of a journey worker who will mentor and instruct you on the various skills of the CCW trade. You will be expected to give a fair days work for a fair days pay and be on the job every workday on time! You will be working indoors and outdoors in all weather conditions, performing physical tasks while using your technical skills.

The CCW Apprenticeship Program requires you to be at least 18 years of age with a minimum grade 10, due to the reading and math skills that are needed on the job and in the class. Let’s not forget that you must be physically able to perform the work of the CCW trade.

Journey workers wages can exceed $27 per hour plus benefits, depending on the sector and area that you work. While you are learning the trade, you will earn a percentage of the journey workers rate and receive regular increases as you learn the skills and progress through the CCW program.

YES. After you complete the CCW Apprenticeship Program, you may take additional training programs at the Labourer’s Local 527 Training & Education Centre.

Becoming a union CCW apprentice can be one of the most important decisions of your life-especially in your working career. By joining LiUNA (Labourer’s International Union of North America) it will enable you to earn a good wage and receive many benefits such as:

  • Medical
  • Prescription
  • Vision & Hearing
  • Dental
  • Legal
  • Job training
  • Life long learning
  • Pension

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