Doing Business With Hillsborough

Construction Apprenticeship Program

Hillsborough County created the Construction Apprenticeship Program to address the shortage of skilled labor impacting the County’s construction projects, which result in project delays, additional expenses, and other challenges.

The program is intended to increase the number of skilled workers available for County construction projects by providing opportunities for training and experience that will help ensure that a trained workforce is available in the future.

The Construction Apprenticeship Program was approved by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners as County Ordinance 21-17 on May 21, 2021. The program applies to County-funded construction project solicitations starting Sept. 1, 2021.

 

General Program Requirements

  • The program applies to County-funded construction projects $1 million and over
  • At least 12% of labor hours must be performed by apprentices employed by the contractor or its subcontractors
  • The contractor or its subcontractors must participate in an apprenticeship program that is registered with the Florida Department of Education or the U.S. Department of Labor
  • A company-sponsored program will be sufficient for a trade for which there are no registered apprenticeship programs for any type of work to be performed on the construction project, but the contractor or sub-contractor will use a person participating in a company-sponsored training program
  • The contractor or its subcontractors must demonstrate good faith efforts to comply with this program if goals are not met

 

How the Program Works

Effective Sept. 1, 2021, County-funded construction project solicitations will include a Construction Apprenticeship Program Certification Form (fillable)*. The vendor bidding on the project must certify that they will participate in an apprenticeship program that is registered with the Florida Department of Education or the U.S. Department of Labor.  This requirement also applies to subcontractors. 

Throughout the contract duration, the contractor must provide qualifying documentation on the utilization of apprentices, including those used by its subcontractors. Partial compliance or noncompliance with the program requirement may result in liquidated damages and other remedies available to the County, including, but not limited to, debarment or suspension of the contractor from consideration for the award of future contracts, and termination of the construction contract.

For more information about the program, review the full Construction Apprenticeship Program Ordinance. 

 

*Due to browser limitations, some people may be unable to use the fillable form. If you cannot get the fillable version to work correctly, download the printable version of the Construction Apprenticeship Program Certification Form.

 

Program Assistance and Questions

 

Helpful Links