Are plumbing apprentice graduates safer than their non-apprentice peers? Workers’ compensation claims among journey level plumbers by apprenticeship participation

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Journal of Safety Research
Volume 83, December 2022, Pages 349-356

Abstract
Introduction: Apprenticeships combine mentored on-the-job training with related instruction to develop a workforce with the skills sought by employers. Workplace safety is an important component of apprenticeship training. Whether that training results in fewer work injuries, however, is largely unknown. Method: We linked Washington’s registered apprenticeship data, plumber certification (licensing) data, employment data, and workers’ compensation claims to compare claim rates among journey level plumbers (JLP) by apprenticeship participation. We used negative binomial regression models to estimate rates of total claims, wage replacement/disability claims, acute injuries, and musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), adjusted for worker characteristics. Results: Among JLP certified between 2000 and 2018, rates among JLP with no apprenticeship training were 46% higher for total workers’ compensation claims (adjusted Rate Ratio (aRR) = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.26–1.69) and 60% higher for wage replacement/disability claims (aRR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.22–2.11), compared to rates among JLP who completed a plumbing apprenticeship. Apprentice graduates experienced a greater decline in the rate of total claims between the 5 years preceding JLP certification and the years after certification (55.3% vs. 41.4% among JLP with no apprenticeship training). Greater rate reductions among JLP apprentice graduates were also observed for acute injuries and MSD, although the decline in MSD was not significantly different from the decline among JLP with no apprenticeship training. Conclusions: Successful completion of a plumbing apprenticeship program is associated with fewer work injuries throughout the career of a JLP. Apprenticeships appear to play a key role in reducing work injuries among JLP, especially acute injuries. Practical Applications: Apprenticeships are an effective model for reducing workplace injuries. The mechanisms by which apprenticeship training improves workplace safety should be identified to better inform injury prevention efforts among apprentices as well as among workers outside of a formal apprenticeship arrangement.

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The Skilled Labor Battle: Trade School Vs. College

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Jan. 10, 2023 | Kelly L. Faloon

When it comes to preparing for their work future, today’s young people have some difficult decisions ahead of them: what they want to do in their work life, where to obtain the knowledge and training, how to pay for their education, and what the job prospects will be when they complete their schooling.

For anyone desiring a college degree, the price can be daunting in any field.

“The cognitive competencies that are in high demand in the workforce are generally associated with higher levels of education,” notes a report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW). “Today, two out of three jobs require postsecondary education and training, while three out of four jobs in the 1970s required a high school diploma or less. Yet while young people today need more education than ever to compete in the labor market, a college education is more expensive than in the past.”

The 2021 report, “If Not Now, When? The Urgent Need for an All-One-System Approach to Youth Policy,” illustrates that between 1980 and 2020, college costs rose 169%. …

The Skilled Labor Dilemma

So how can young people obtain a secondary education that will provide them with a good standard of living but not cripple them in debt?

Whether you call it trade school, vocational school or career and technical education (CTE), these learning institutions can teach young people the skills and training they need to enter a career with financial stability, such as plumbing, HVACR or electrical. These jobs are fairly recession-proof and cannot be outsourced overseas.

The market size of U.S. trade and technical schools is $15.1 billion in 2022, notes an IBIS World market report. And a Bloomberg article notes that more young people are entering apprenticeship programs in many industries.

“U.S. companies are increasingly tapping high school students for skilled jobs,” the August 2022 article notes. “As a result, apprenticeships are seeing a renaissance after failing to gain a foothold over the past few decades. About 214,000 people aged 16 to 24 were in apprenticeships in 2022, more than double the amount a decade ago, according to July data from the U.S. Department of Labor.”

Bloomberg adds that it’s “part of a national rethink by employers scrambling to fill about 10.7 million vacancies by developing their own talent pipelines.”

Regarding trade careers in construction, plumbing and HVACR are some of the highest-paying trades today. Candidates can obtain a two-year associate’s degree or certification, but many go directly into four- or five-year apprenticeship programs.

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