About Our Trades

We’ve outlined a stringent to attendance, timeliness and preparedness each and every day above. While this may seem excessive, it’s imperative you understand what’s involved. On the jobsite, each trade is affected by the timeline and productivity of other trades. If you fail to show up on-time or at all, you force your brothers and sisters to work even harder to keep schedules. It’s unfair and simply not tolerated in construction.

If chosen for enrollment, you earn while you learn, spending one day a week at the school and the remaining four days with your sponsoring contractor out in the field. Apprentices earn a percentage of full union scale, increasing as your time in the program progresses. For a complete pay scale breakdown click here.

While at our state-of-the-art training facility, you’ll receive hands-on education from some of the best instructors, each of whom has spent numerous years in the field working with their tools. The carefully planned curriculum delivered with their individual expertise and perspective provides a truly unique real-world learning environment. Classes will expose you to all aspects of your finishing trade.

In-school days may also include outings to work on various charity projects throughout Chicago, where your application of learned skills gets put to the test. Often the benefit of giving back on these projects is immeasurable and begins an understanding of what it means to be part of a union with a long history of helping others within our communities.

In the field with your sponsoring contractor, you continue to gain unmatched experience through mentorship from Journeypersons on your crews. Whether your work is residential, commercial or industrial in nature you’ll likely have the opportunity to work on some of Chicago’s most iconic structures. Your company will provide daily instruction and exposure to the methods of your trade.

Another key component of apprenticeship is to attend your regular local union meetings. The career offers support in many forms: the school faulty, your sponsoring company and the nearly 4,000 brothers and sisters making up Painters District Council #14, For anything you’re going through or questioning, there’s someone who’s been there before and many who are willing to listen, offer advice or lend a hand. Getting involved is your responsibility, the benefits are endless.

Mission Statement

The Finishing Trades Institute of DC 14 Chicago is where Labor and Management work together to develop dedicated Apprentice Trainees into skilled, professional Painting/Decorating, Industrial Coating, and Drywall Finishing Journeypersons for DC 14, and our Signatory Contractors. These programs provide comprehensive safety and skill upgrade training for our Journeypersons. The objective of each program is to provide Signatory Contractors with a qualified, highly productive, and safe workforce.

Our History

We’ve outlined a stringent adherence to attendance, timeliness and preparedness each and every day above. While this may seem excessive, it’s imperative you understand what’s involved. On the job site, each trade is affected by the timeline and productivity of other trades. If you fail to show up on-time or at all, you force your brothers and sisters to work even harder to keep schedules. It’s unfair and simply not tolerated in construction.