Apprenticeships – Related Trade Instruction (RTI)

Southwestern Michigan College provides Related Trade Instruction (RTI) for a number of nationally-recognized occupations. Through SMC’s Division of Advanced Technologies, the college assists employers in selecting the courses that will supplement the hands-on training the employer provides.

The final decision regarding the related trade instruction is determined by the training needs of the employer. The SMC’s coordinator of Work-Based Learning can also assist employers in developing or updating their own apprenticeship program, and can aid in the Office of Apprenticeship (OA) registration process. Some of the occupations SMC’s apprenticeship program can support are listed below.

Apprenticeships registered with the OA require a minimum of 144 hours of related trade instruction per year. RTI generally takes place in a classroom and helps to insure that workers can communicate effectively in job-specific ways.

Taught by SMC faculty, experienced craftspeople and other skilled persons, the required hands-on learning and studying of trade manuals and other educational materials, provides current and relevant information that is directly useful in the occupation.

Upon completion of the on-the-job training and RTI, the apprentice will receive a completion certificate from the U.S. Department of Labor and in many cases, has completed enough credits to receive a certificate of training from SMC. Once the SMC certificate is earned, the apprentice is usually only a few classes away from an Associate in Applied Science degree.

SMC offers a degree completion program for skilled trade journeymen who are recognized by the Office of Apprenticeship. For the journey person status, students will receive 32 credits which may be applied to the Associate in Applied Science degree. The curriculum varies depending on the nature of each apprenticeship program.