UBC Job Corps FAQs

The UBC-NJCTF is a pre-apprenticeship training fund that provides carpentry and employability skills training for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) at Job Corps centers throughout the United States.

Our programs offer young people workplace skills and technical knowledge that prepare them to enter competitive Registered Apprenticeship programs or pursue other career goals.

Nothing. The UBC-NJCTF is a no-cost education and career training program run by the U.S. Department of Labor for young people ages 16-24, based on financial eligibility.

In most cases, yes!

Work-based learning (WBL) opportunities are job experiences directly related to students’ areas of training. These, and leisure-time employment opportunities, allow students to save money for a car and housing after leaving the Job Corps. Sometimes, these work-based learning opportunities result in full-time employment with the same contractor after graduating from the program.

The average program completion time is about ten months; however, the timeline for completion will depend on a student’s educational needs and dedication to the program.

The UBC-NJCTF instructors are hired for their knowledge, passion for teaching the next generation, and commitment to making a difference in the lives of young people. They bring with them years of experience in the field and credentials earned at the UBC’s International Training Center (ITC).

Instructors are continuously updating their skills by attending Penn State workforce education classes and train-the-trainer classes in areas such as mass timber construction, Bluebeam, and Armstrong specialty ceilings, to name a few. They are all authorized OSHA outreach trainers, as well.

A United Brotherhood of Carpenters (UBC) journey-level carpenter could be working at any of the many types of commercial construction: interior and exterior systems, concrete formwork, scaffolding, bridgework, heavy highway, doors & hardware, layout, safety, or other specialties.

Many UBC members run work as foremen or superintendents. Many are stewards, as well, looking out for the wellbeing of the crew. Still, others are council representatives, Union organizers, and instructors. Some UBC members are piledrivers and commercial divers, floor coverers, millwrights, lathers or mill-cabinet specialists.

There are many options in the UBC!

Students must be between the ages of 16-24 years old.

However, it is recommended that new students be at least 17 ½ years old, because U.S. federal laws prohibit minors from working with power tools in construction and on jobsites. Upon completing this program, students must be at least 18 years old to be employable in the construction industry.

The UBC-NJCTF uses the Carpenters International Training Fund’s (CITF) Career Connections curriculum, as well as a proprietary math curriculum, Job Corps Carpentry Math.

There is some classroom work, but most of the learning takes place through hands-on courses, including Carpentry Math.

The UBC-NJCTF Carpentry Pre-Apprenticeship prepares young people with a desire to work with their hands for the high-energy field of commercial carpentry and related construction crafts.

Successful graduates will have access to UBC-affiliated Registered Apprenticeship programs and other Registered Apprenticeships, in accordance with their interests and abilities.

Students will gain hands-on experience, benefit from support systems and learning aids, earn industry-recognized qualifications, get a feel for a real-world work environment, and prepare for a successful career making high wages as a Union Carpenter. You will be able to stand out against other applicants who have not had the benefit of this type of training.

The “p” and the “s” are silent, so “corps” sounds like apple “core.”