HAWAIIAN COMMERCIAL & SUGAR COMPANY
Trades Progression Program
2/1/07
Our apprenticeship program is registered with the State and Federal Department of Labor Bureau of Apprenticeship & Training. The program consists of a combination of on-the-job training and bookwork. The apprentice must complete working hours and books accordingly as required by his or her trade. The apprentice signs a State of Hawaii contract agreeing to uphold the standard or rules of the program. The Company on the other hand provides training in the trade as the apprentice learns from a Journeyworker.
At HC&S Company, the apprenticeship program applies to the following trades.
General Mechanic (Factory)
I.C.E. Mechanic (Internal Combustion Engine)-Combination
Plumber
Carpenter
Electrician
Machinist
Welder
Millwright (Mechanic/Welder/Machinist)
Power Plant Operator/Mechanic
Sugar Boiler/Mechanic
TECHNICAL TRADES
Electrical Control Technician
Mechanical Drafter
Non-Destructive Testing Technician
Instrument Technician
Instrument & Electrical Drafter
To enter the apprenticeship program, the applicant must sign for a specific trade, be selected, and then successfully pass our pre-apprenticeship program. Pre-Apprenticeship candidates complete three trades-related tests (2.0 G.P.A.) and must obtain satisfactory evaluations from their respective supervisor over a three-month period. Pre-Apprenticeship positions are temporary. Upon satisfactory completion of pre-apprenticeship an incumbent is allowed into the regular apprenticeship program.
Apprenticeship is actually a five-year program, four years of bookwork and on-the-job training. The last year is an on-the-job training “refinement of skills” period. An apprentice with previous work experience or education related to the trade may start at a higher level and pay rate in the program pending approval by the State. Credit will be given after pre-apprenticeship.
Total hours to complete the program are 7,600 hours (1900/year). To earn hours, an apprentice has to come to work. Bookwork must also be completed. The average apprenticeship course outline has 50 books. Our primary texts come from Thompson Education Direct. We use NUS (William’s Knowledge Systems) and some texts that were written internally specifically for our factory. Apprentices are required to do one book per month or twelve books per year. All of the tests are open book. Once an employee completes an apprenticeship program, he or she receives a certificate of successful completion from the State as well as the school. To pass the related bookwork, the apprentice must complete with a 2.0 grade point average. While apprentices may study at home, all testing is done in the Human Resources Office after an apprentices regular work hours.
The hourly wage rate for pre-apprenticeship is $13.21 per hour. The actual apprenticeship wage scale varies from $14.79 per hour to $18.73 per hour depending on the trade and level we start an apprentice at. After this, Journeyworker levels and rates apply. A Journeyworker is an employee who has successfully completed an apprenticeship program and who can also perform all the work of average difficulty related to the trade. Promotional progress into the higher levels is possible by demonstrating a higher level of technical skill through performance of more difficult work assignments and with less supervision. Hourly wage of a Journeyworker at the lowest level begins at $19.71 per hour, and the highest level pays $23.08 per hours, again depending on the trade.
THE APENTICESHIP PROGRAM IS AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY TO EARN WHILE LEARNING A TRADE!
To become an apprentice, a person needs to complete an application for a specific trade vacancy at the HC&S Human Resources Office. The individual must be eighteen years of age, a graduate from high school, or have a G.E.D.
