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Job Description | Duties | Working Conditions
Educational Requirements | Outlook | Salary
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Architecture and Construction
Job Description: An apprenticeship is a formal method of training in a skilled occupation or trade. For general information about apprenticeships, training, and partnerships with business, visit the United States Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship Training, Employer and Labor Services (OATELS). OATELS is the Federal program that administers the National Registered Apprenticeship System (NRAS). It is a consolidation of the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training and the new responsibilities of the employer and labor liaison dedicated to building a workforce for the 21st century.
Apprentice carpenters are paid trainees who are learning to construct and repair structures of wood, plywood, and wallboard. They attend formal classes and work under experienced carpenters on the job to learn their craft. Carpenters work on residential as well as commercial buildings.
The military builds many temporary and permanent structures each year. Lumber, plywood, plasterboard, masonry and concrete are the basic building materials for many of the projects. Construction specialists build and repair buildings, bridges, foundations, dams, and bunkers. They work with engineers and other building specialists as part of construction teams.
Duties: As residential or construction carpenters, apprentices may perform some or all of these basic duties:
- Read plans, blueprints, or instructions
- Identify and find materials
- Determine size/shape of the required parts
- Measure and mark materials for cutting
- Cut and shape materials using hand or power tools
- Erect forms, wood framework, subflooring, sheeting, partitions, floor joists, studding, and rafters
- Install trim, wood paneling, cabinets, windows, doors, hardware, and flooring
- Check accuracy with levels, rules, plumb bobs, and framing squares and make any necessary adjustments
Working Conditions: The normal work week for an apprentice carpenter is 40 hours. As in other building trades, carpentry requires prolonged standing, climbing, bending, and kneeling. The job may be indoors or outdoors, at floor level, or on ladders or scaffolding. Carpenters employed outside the construction industry may perform a variety of installation and maintenance work.
Educational Requirements: To become an apprentice carpenter, applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 30 and a member of the sponsoring trade union. Apprenticeship programs are administered by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. Training programs combine on-the-job experience with related classroom instruction. Apprentices often begin by working as helpers with experienced carpenters. For related information and recommended courses to prepare for this occupation, Tennessee high school students may visit the Trade and Industrial Education Standards, Competency Profiles, and Resource Links online.
Outlook: The estimated number of carpenters in Tennessee is 15,390. It is projected there will be an increase of 17 percent in this occupation through the year 2012 with 520 job openings annually. Job opportunities are expected to remain plentiful due primarily to extensive replacement needs. For additional information on this occupation, visit the nationally recognized Occupational Outlook Handbook online.
The military employs approximately 5,000 construction specialists. Each year the services need more skilled workers in construction. For more information for Enlisted Personnel visit Today's Military online.
Military service: Construction specialists are enlistees in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and the Coast Guard.
| 10% | 25% | Median- 50% | 75% | 90% | |
| TN Annual | $20,170 | $24,430 | $29,500 | $36,550 | $43,760 |
| US Annual | $22,610 | $28,190 | $36,550 | $49,600 | $63,330 |
*Some salaries are listed at an hourly rate. Those that include a single dollar amount are considered hourly wage.
Wage and salary data provided by:
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee Department of Labor website
- TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development website
- Bureau of Economic Analysis website
For an explanation of salary data please visit acinet.org
Last updated on: January 23, 2008