On-the-Job Training

When a PennDOT project includes the Training Special Provision, 1999-9999 – Trainees (Federal) or 3999-9999 – Trainees (State), the contractor shall obtain acceptance from PennDOT for the training program to be utilized and the start time for training, prior to commencing any training.  The prime contractor submits the Highway Contractor's On-the-Job Training Program (EO-363) within 10 days after the notice to proceed, which identifies the training classification(s) selected to be utilized on the project.  When the contractor's recruitment efforts identify qualified candidate(s), a Trainee Enrollment Form (EO-364) must be completed and submitted to PennDOT's Project Inspector-In-Charge prior to the anticipated start date identified on the EO-364.  The Highway Contractor's Monthly Training Report (EO-365), details the training completed by trainee(s) and/or apprentice(s). At the conclusion of training, trainees and/or apprentices receive a completion Certificate of Training. Contractors are encouraged to develop their own training program outline, tailored to the needs of the project that can provide a minimum of 1,000 hours of combined on-the-job training and work experience to provide an effective, significant and meaningful training opportunity. Proposed training programs must be approved by PennDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) prior to acceptance of the program.

Good faith efforts for trainees may include, but are not limited to documentation or efforts to:

• Contact women and minority recruitment sources when hiring opportunities arise or thirty (30) days prior to the start of a union's open enrollment application periods;
• Refer women and minority to the unions or other applicable outlets for trainee recruits;
• Assist women and minority applicants in joining the union;
  
• Upgrade women and minorities towards journey-level status;
• Accept applications at the project site or at the contractor's home office;
• Consider new and previously received applications from women and minority when hiring opportunities arise;
• Report incidents in which unions are providing a barrier to employment for individuals, especially minorities or females that you have referred to the union and any observed pattern of underutilization of females and minorities in a particular classification;
• Contact On-the-Job Training Supportive Services for recruiting needs.

Non-union contractors must recruit for eligible, qualified/qualifiable women and minority candidates to satisfy the Trainee Special Provision. The contractor should make every good faith effort to recruit from the targeted groups; documentation of the contractor's requests for minority and women candidates is to be maintained along with results of such requests.

Apprentices are permitted when they are individually registered under a bona fide apprenticeship program that has been registered with a state apprenticeship agency. Heavy Highway Construction Craft Apprentice training programs that have been certified by the US Department of Labor - Employment and Training Administration (USDOL-ETA), the PA Department of Labor & Industry's Bureau of Labor Law Compliance and/or FHWA are acceptable for providing on-the-job training.  The prime contractor is required to provide a copy of the apprenticeship agreement and/or union-originated cover letter outlining the apprentice's current status toward the completion of their apprentice training program when they submit a Trainee Enrollment (EO-364) to enroll a bona fide apprentice.  If apprentices are to be utilized, documentation of requests for minority and women apprentice candidates are to be maintained along with results of such requests.

Future Roadbuilders is a virtual pre-apprenticeship program developed in 2015, by Constructors Association of Western PA (CAWP) and Simcoach Games, to spur career discovery and ready applicants in highway construction.  PennDOT partnered with CAWP and Simcoach Games in 2016 to continue the development of the Future Roadbuilders platform to include an application available for smart phones and tablets.  Future Road Builders creates a potential candidate pool for the construction industry's recruiting efforts.

The game consists of videos and assessment questions that will provide players with insights and a better understanding of what it means to be a construction professional.  Players explore different trades within the game and will receive a "Get to Work" badge that can be used when applying for apprenticeship programs.

Visit the Future Roadbuilders website for more information and download the Future Road Builders app on your smart device through the Apple Store, Google Play or Amazon Apps. 

Individuals who are interested in becoming a trainee must:

•  Be a minimum of 18 years of age;
• Have a high school diploma or GED;
• Be in good health or can pass a pre-job physical, should one be required;
• Pass a drug test, should one be required;
• Demonstrate evidence of a reasonable amount of intelligence to handle the technical elements of the job;
• Demonstrate evidence of a reasonable amount of aptitude and interest in the craft;
• Have a valid license (i.e., equipment operator, truck driver or highway);
• Not be accepted as a trainee in any classification in which they have successfully completed a training program leading toward journey level status, or in which such person has been gainfully employed as a journey by virtue of informal on-the-job training;
• Not be an individual or apprentice who enrolled as 'trainee' and quit three (3) times as they will no longer be eligible to participate in the program.  This determination can be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Once an trainee has completed training, he/she has the potential to advance towards journey-level status in highway construction trades including, but not limited to: 

• Carpenter
• Laborer
• Cement Mason
  
• Electrician
• Equipment Operator
• Iron Worker
• Painter

The Bureau of Equal Opportunity is happy to announce that ProRank Business Solutions, LLC is the new OJT supportive services for our trainees. For more information about PennDOT's On-the-Job Training Program contact us at  717-787-5891 or by using our resource account at ra-pdbeo-ojt@pa.gov.

For more information on ProRank Business Solutions, LLC please see their information located below. 

ProRank Business Solutions, LLC.
PA OJT Supportive Services Center
Website: paojtssc.com
Email: paojtssc@prorankllc.com
Phone: 833-PENN-OJT or 833-736-6658