You do not need experience, a degree, or your own tools to start a career in the trades. A drywall apprenticeship pays you a real wage from day one while experienced tradespeople teach you the craft. Here is how it works in Arizona and how to get started.
What a drywall apprenticeship actually is.
An apprenticeship is the trades' version of a paid education. Instead of taking on debt for a classroom, you work on real commercial jobsites alongside journeymen who teach you the craft: hanging and finishing drywall, steel stud framing, lath and plaster, acoustical ceilings, and more.
You earn a paycheck the entire time, and your wage climbs as your skills do. When your apprenticeship is complete, you step into a full union-wage position as a journeyman.
Get paid to learn. An apprenticeship costs you nothing and pays you from your first day on the job.
What a day on the job looks like.
Better Built Arizona member contractors work on Arizona's biggest commercial projects: hospitals, schools, hotels, offices, and public buildings. Depending on the crew, your day might include:
- Laying out and framing walls with steel studs
- Hanging drywall and installing insulation
- Finishing, taping, and prepping walls for paint
- Installing acoustical ceiling systems
- Working with modern layout tech, from laser trackers to robotic layout printers
Safety is built into every one of those tasks. Every Better Built jobsite runs on the principle that no schedule is worth an injury.
What you earn and the benefits.
Union representation is the difference between a job and a career. Working for a Better Built Arizona contractor comes with:
| Benefit | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Competitive union wages | Paid on time, every time, at your full rate |
| Health insurance | Coverage for you and your family |
| Retirement fund | Full pension eligibility, one of the few career paths that still offers one |
| Vacation pay | Time off you've earned |
| Paid training | Formal education and on-the-job learning, on the clock |
These aren't perks you hope for. They're benefits you can count on, represented and defended by your union.
Who you'd work for.
Better Built Arizona is a partnership of Arizona's most respected wall & ceiling contractors: the Berg Group, E&K, MKB Construction, Performance Contracting Inc., and West Coast Partitions. Between them they carry decades of experience and some of the largest commercial projects in the state.
The best part: you don't have to pick one to apply to. One Better Built application puts you in front of all five at once.
How to apply.
- Fill out the application. It takes about two minutes: your contact info, whether you've worked construction before, and when you can start.
- A member contractor reviews it directly. No recruiter black hole. Keep an eye on your phone and email.
- Start as a paid apprentice. If you're new to the trade, you begin in a paid apprenticeship and build from there to a full union position.
Build a career that builds Arizona.
Apply once and every Better Built Arizona member contractor sees it. A real person reviews it directly.
Get Hired Today