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Building a Career in Construction Trades

Posted on: March 5, 2025

Summary : Students Can Get a Jump Start Through the Pre-Apprenticeship Program

Students in the Pre-Apprenticeship program visit a Local 86 Ironworkers job site.

Building a Career in Construction Trades

High school students in the pre-apprenticeship program visited the Local 86 Ironworkers Apprenticeship program for a day of hands-on learning.

Students in the Pre-Apprenticeship program visit a Local 86 Ironworkers job site.
Students in the Pre-Apprenticeship program visit a Local 86 Ironworkers job site.

The Seattle Public Schools Skilled Trades Pre-Apprenticeship is now a Labor and Industry recognized training program embedded in a half-day high school class. This program is one of just a few high school-based pre-apprenticeships in the state, giving our graduates a jump start on construction careers.

Once students graduate from high school, they are guided through the apprenticeship application process. Pre-apprenticeship prepares them for this process and gives them priority hire status into a variety of trades apprenticeships. Once in apprenticeship, students can earn up to $35 per hour and a free two-year college degree over the course of four years, while being paid.

Pre-apprenticeship is currently enrolling for the 2025-26 school year. Families can learn more about the process and sign up online.

To learn more about the pre-apprenticeship program, contact the SPS Pre-Apprenticeship Coordinator Jay Connolly at jcconnolly@seattleschools.org.

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