King County Apprenticeship Program

Program Overview

King County's Apprenticeship Program is committed to fostering partnerships with labor, business, and the local community to create a skilled workforce that reflects the diversity of the county's population. King County establishes apprenticeship requirements on select public works construction projects. Apprenticeship requirements are based on the scope of work and the number of total labor hours anticipated to be worked on any given project. King County desires to create and expand access to family wage jobs for any person interested in an apprenticeship career path.

Benefits for Workers and the Community

Provides community members access to family wage jobs
Creates a pool of skilled workers to help fill the projected shortage of skilled labor
Provides economic stability to communities throughout King County
Apprenticeship programs are paid for by the trades, there is no additional expense to be an apprentice
Apprentices earn a living while learning on the job

2021 Annual Results:

$3.5 million earned by apprentices, compared to $2.4 million in 2020
508,321 total labor hours on projects with apprenticeship requirements
92,793 apprentice labor hours, compared to 68,246 hours in 2020
18.3% overall apprentice participation rate, exceeding the required rate of 10.9 percent
534 registered apprentices
29.0% minority apprentice participation rate, an increase of 3.2 percent from 2020
15.0% women apprentice participation rate, an increase of 1.1 percent from 2020

Master Community Workforce Agreement (MCWA):

A Master Community Workforce Agreement (MCWA) is a comprehensive pre-hire collective bargaining agreement between King County and labor unions that sets the basic terms and conditions of employment for public works construction projects. The MCWA includes the requirements for the Priority Hire Program. The terms of the MCWA are negotiated individually for each King County public works project. Click here for additional information.