Howard County announced a new program to help train potential workers to fill electrical, plumbing and HVAC-R jobs, County Executive Alan Kittleman announced Thursday.
The county earned the approval of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation to use apprenticeships that would attracted skilled workers in needed employment areas.
The program is scheduled to begin in July of 2019. The three apprenticeships will be full-time, paid positions with benefits. The four-year program's candidates will attend trade school for free, accumulating 144 classroom hours per year and completing 2,000-on-the-job training hours. Candidates must commit to remaining employed by the county for at least two years after completing the program.
Apprentices will mostly work for for the Department of Public Works in the Bureaus of Facilities, Utilities and Environmental Services, maintaining the county's 172 buildings. Master tradespeople associated with AFSCME 3085, the local Howard County trade union, will oversee and train candidates.
A current list of all the county's open positions, as well as online employment applications, can be found at the Office of Human Resources' website.
