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To become a laborer, high school students should take construction, building, shop, and trade courses. Knowledge of tools and how to do construction calculations, such as estimating, subtracting, and finding height, width and volume are important.

Completion of high school classes does not count for hours in the apprenticeship program, but the experience and classes taken are valuable in building a student’s skill set and should be discussed in the interview.

A two-year diploma is not required to qualify for an apprenticeship. However, degrees obtained in construction-related fields can be evaluated for credit. Call the Statewide Laborers Apprenticeship Training Center at 651-762-8235 prior to signing up for post-secondary opportunities to confirm credits transfer.

A laborer apprenticeship is a two-to-three-year paid program in which apprentices receive on-the-job practical training and classroom instruction. There are no tuition costs for the program. Apprentices are required to take 100 hours of classroom training and complete 1,500 hours of on-the-job training per year to graduate as a journeyworker.

Apprentices do not need to take an aptitude test unless a contractor requires one. Find a list of classes and contractors in Minnesota here.

In the State of Minnesota, there are four labor unions. The Laborers Training Center provides training for the following labor unions. Click on the unions below to access their specific websites:

Local 405
1848 2nd Ave SE,
Rochester, MN 55904
(507) 282-2349
Email: local405@locallabors405.com

Local 563
901 14th Ave NE,
Minneapolis, MN 55413
(612) 781-6933

Local 1091
2002 London Rd,
Duluth, MN 55812
(218) 728-5151

Local 1097
901 14th Ave NE,
Minneapolis, MN 55413
(612) 781-6933

Manual dexterity, good intrapersonal skills and punctuality are important for laborers. Having building and mechanical knowledge and a willingness to learn and try new things mean laborers are adaptable and arrive prepared for the job at hand.

Laborers work with every trade in the construction industry, so being able to work in teams and coordinate schedules with others is important for success on the job. Laborers often travel to job sites and may travel from Minnesota to the Dakotas for work.

For high school students preparing to become a laborer, consider part-time jobs that require hands-on mechanical and shop work to build experience. Outdoor work experience, such as landscaping, is similar to the variety of conditions and the common instruction that laborers work in.

Laborers unions want military members! Be sure to mention service participation in the application process. Note that military construction-related service does not count for credit toward training hours in the apprenticeship.