DPR Supports a Variety of Paths to a Long-Term Career in the Skilled Trades

DPR Construction is proud to employ more than five thousand hard-working craftspeople across the country. Some of them join the team with years of experience in their trades, while others are just starting out in construction. In all cases, DPR works to help these committed builders grow their skills and succeed in their careers, either by supplementing the existing expertise they have or by providing foundational knowledge to those just starting out.

Larry Lopes, a DPR senior drywall superintendent, joined a union apprenticeship program at 18. His family had a tradition of union membership, and he started working as a stocker/scrapper to get his foot in the door. After showing his commitment to the craft, along with a healthy helping of initiative, he was able to join a drywall union program.

“You have to work hard, be persistent and prove you want to be there,” says Lopes. “If you make it through that process, working for about six months, you can get a recommendation from your employer to move into a union apprenticeship program. You start paying union dues, and they repay you in tools to get you started.”

A union apprenticeship program typically takes about five years to complete. Apprentices start with tasks like stocking and slowly get introduced to other scopes, materials, tools and procedures. After an introductory period, apprentices are paid union rates with benefits such as a pension, medical and dental insurance, and vacation time.

“You're getting paid to learn your trade,” says Lopes. “It’s a really good program where they teach you, give you hands-on experience for a week, and you learn everything else in the field. I basically learned in the field in the apprenticeship program.”

Not only do apprenticeships provide the opportunity to learn a trade, they also offer a variety of broader construction training, including OSHA certified safety training, scissor lift training, and blueprint reading courses. They also include training for those in leadership positions, such as Foremen and Superintendents.

DPR offers continuous education opportunities to its employees, often supplementing union training and benefits with its own programs and industry-leading benefits for craftspeople. DPR’s Foremen Development program has been key in providing additional training in field skills, including scheduling, and in leadership and business skills. Participant surveys revealed that 95% of foremen who went through the program shared that they have a better understanding of their roles.

Education assistance is also available to all DPR’s skilled craft and labor employees, with the company offering reimbursement of up to $5,000 per calendar year for education expenses for study or training programs pursued outside of working hours if they are related to an employee’s work and career at DPR. There is also a GED program benefit that offers participation in a GED program at no cost to employees.

Beyond education and training, DPR offers all skilled craft and labor employees flexibility for unplanned leave, such as bereavement and jury duty, pregnancy leave, and free access to counseling through the Employee Assistance Program.

“If you’re a union journeyman in California, where I live,” says Lopes, “you almost always have a job as long as you do a good job and show that you want to be there. And here at DPR, when we find someone who is committed and works hard, we try to keep them working for as long as we can as part of our core group.

DPR is proud to have a large team of tradespeople with a range of experience, from those just beginning to learn their craft to those who have mastered it. But regardless of experience, when you ask our team what it takes to be successful at DPR, the most common answers point to initiative, commitment, and a willingness to learn as good measures of future career success.

“There are opportunities available at DPR if you show your work ethic and commitment to the right processes and safety measures,” says Lopes.