BUTLER TWP — Trade union apprenticeships are a hidden gem of the job market, an industry expert maintains.

“It’s the best kept secret and you don’t have college debt,” said Paul Reinert, apprenticeship training director for Pittsburgh’s International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local (IBEW) Union No. 5.

He will explain how the IBEW apprenticeship program works at a panel discussion during Butler County Community College’s free “Apprenticeship Summit” being held from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in Founders Hall on the main campus. BC3 and the Tri-County Workforce Investment Board are sponsoring the event.

The keynote speaker is Eric Ramsay, director of the state Department of Labor and Industry’s apprenticeship and training office.

On the panel, Reinert will be joined by other trade union representatives and officials from businesses that have apprentice programs — including Allison Emsurak of Cygnus Manufacturing, a Saxonburg machine shop — to discuss apprenticeships with job seekers, high school juniors and seniors, and small and mid-sized companies.

“I don’t think people realize the kind of money you can make in the trades,” Emsurak said. “There is opportunity for advancement without going the traditional college route.”

IBEW apprentices receive pay raises of about $2 an hour every six months while learning on the job and attending Community College of Allegheny County to obtain associate degrees in electrical construction technology during the five-year apprentice program, Reinert said.

“We don’t charge anything. We pay you to go to school one day a week. You work four days. We’re paying you to go to school,” Reinert said. “Earn while you learn. We’re going to teach you to be an electrician at no cost.

“Your base pay as an apprentice is $35 an hour. You don’t pay for health care and you get a raise every six months. You can make $60,000 to $70,000 a year in an apprenticeship.”

People begin receiving pay and benefits when they are accepted into IBEW’s apprentice program.

“The day they get accepted, they have the same health care benefits I have,” said Reinert, who has been an IBEW member for 46 years.

The average age of a new IBEW apprentice is 28 and half of the people who apply for the apprenticeship program have at least some college education, he said.

Cygnus has a four-year, 8,000-hour apprenticeship program for machinists, Emsurak said.

Current and new employees can be accepted into the program, which includes online training, mentoring and on-the-job training, she said.

“Typically, we promote people into the apprentice program. Some get hired into it,” Emsurak said.

People who complete apprenticeship programs become journeypersons.

Emsurak, Reinert and the other panel members have valuable information for people and businesses interested in apprenticeships, said Lisa Campbell, BC3’s dean of workforce development.

The other panel members are Nick Kappas of Steamfitters Local 449, Steve Columbus of the Western Pennsylvania Operating Engineers Apprentice Program, Scott Covert from Penn United Technologies and Petra Mitchell of Catalyst Connection, a company that offers consulting and training services to small manufacturers in southwestern Pennsylvania.

“They’ll speak to what they look for from individuals to enter their programs and the value of belonging to an apprenticeship program,” Campbell said.

Ramsay oversees all registered apprenticeship programs in the state.

“He’ll talk about how businesses are seeking apprenticeship training models,” Campbell said.

The 11 vendors that will have booths at the summit include unions and area businesses.

“This is an opportunity for the college to provide information about apprenticeship programs. It’s for job seekers and small to mid-sized companies that want to get training for workers,” Campbell said. “Our panel will be diverse. Our audience will be diverse.”