What to Expect

Millwright apprentices train to become manufacturing experts. They develop the skills to work in a variety of manufacturing settings.

Jeff Fenyder did a millwright apprenticeship. He became interested in millwright training through his father, a millwright who started his own company.

"I would definitely encourage people towards millwrighting," says Fenyder. "Many people push for university, but it's not always the way to go."

Rita Moore, a practicing millwright and former apprentice, says, "I chose my trade because it is, in my opinion, the perfect combination of working with your brain and your body all at once.

"You have to analyze and plan out your job, and then you get to muscle it into place," she says. "When it's done, you can look at it and say, `That's my work.'"

The classroom section of a millwright apprenticeship program is challenging, but not impossible.

"The most difficult thing for many apprentices is the math," Moore says. "I remember having to help fellow students who were pretty lost in that subject, and some failed trade school because of failing math."

But don't let the math scare you. "I can say that students interested in becoming millwrights should enjoy math in high school. But they can always get extra help from other apprentices or teachers if they want to ask," she says.

Moore says a typical day for a millwright apprentice starts with an hour or two of trade-related subjects like math, drafting and blueprints. That's followed by two or three hours of millwright theory class, where they learn things like pneumatic theory or power transmission systems. Then, there is three or four hours of machine shop class, where students practice what they've learned.

Every so often, there will be a day where students stay late or do an evening class in special areas such as rigging safety, forklift operation and first aid.

No more than an hour or two of homework per day is usually required, perhaps more if a student is having difficulty in a particular area.

"One thing about taking a millwright apprentice program that is really great is that the people involved are good about helping others out," says Fenyder. "I think that because the students taking the courses already have jobs, [that] helps get rid of competitive feelings as well."