Part of a 10-year agreement involving the city, school district, and the Hartford and New Britain trade unions that allows residents to get apprenticeships in various trades, the fair gives students the chance to explore career opportunities, said Yolanda Rivera of the CT Building Trades Institute. Trades represented at the fair included HVAC, iron workers, brick layers, operating engineers and carpenters. Programs for pipe fitters, plumbers and welders take five years, and consist of full-time work and a week of in-class training every six weeks. Apprentices in HVAC programs take classes two nights a week. All programs include 250 hours of training, Hewins said. Apprentices going into construction require 1,600 work hours per year of on-the-job training, while HVAC has 2,000 hours annually.
Torrington High School students learn about apprenticeships at fair