Applying - How To Become an Apprentice

If you're not sure what you want to do, check out apprenticeship programs in Washington for general information about all of our Registered Apprenticeship Programs.

How to Become an Apprentice

If you have an idea on what you would like to do, the following will help you immediately.

Programs Accepting Applications
Most programs accept applications on a regular basis. This page lists those programs which have sent us an "Apprentice Opening Announcement". To find out for certain whether or not a program is accepting applications, you need to contact them directly.

To find Active Apprenticeship Programs, we recommend you look up "Programs by County", not "By Occupation" as some programs have different names for the same or similar occupation.

1. Go to our online Apprentice Registration and Tracking System (ARTS) and run a Report of “Programs by County” for the county where your are living or working.

• This report will show you all the programs that cover the specified county, sorted by occupation with the name of the program next to it.

• Go through the entire list and select the appropriate program(s) which will give you the contact information for that program.

• Contact the program to inquire if they are accepting applications.

• If the program is accepting applications, follow their directions for applying.

• Once you have applied and are accepted into the program, the program will then register you with Labor & Industries as a registered apprentice. Please note that if you're accepted into an occupation which has Licensing/Certification requirements in Washington State, you will need to get the appropriate license or trainee card from the appropriate agency.

- OR -

2. Go to our listing of “Programs by County” Web page for reports in Acrobat PDF format.

• These Acrobat (PDF) files (one for each county) are sorted by occupation and list all programs that cover that county. Includes appropriate contact information.

• Go through the list and select the appropriate program and contact the program to inquire if they are accepting applications.

• If the program is accepting applications, follow their directions for applying.

• Once you have applied and are accepted into the program, the program will then register you with Labor & Industries as a registered apprentice. Please note that if you're accepted into an occupation which has Licensing/Certification requirements in Washington State, you will need to get the appropriate license or trainee card from the appropriate agency.

- OR -

3. Contact the Local L&I Apprenticeship Consultant and they can provide you with information on occupations and registered programs in your area. Please note that if you have not done any of the above first, that you may be directed back to these pages.