Georgia Building Trades Academy helps Georgians get ready for a career in the union construction trades. We provide the hands-on training, safety certifications, and industry connections you need to get started in a registered apprenticeship.
Choose the program that’s right for you and apply today to get started!
Combining hands-on construction training with classroom lessons about the Building Trades, financial literacy, and more, the federally recognized YouthBuild pre-apprenticeship program is built to help young people (16–24) build the foundation for a successful career in the construction industry.
Built for adults who already hold a high school equivalency, this virtual program helps participants earn credentials that are essential to a successful career in the union construction trades.
The Georgia Building Trades Academy is a 501(c)(3) training organization dedicated to providing Georgia’s citizens with the education and employment opportunities that will lead to a successful career in the construction industry. The Academy is designed to prepare these individuals to enter and succeed in registered apprenticeship programs, which are gateways to strong, middle-class jobs in the US construction industry. Our goal is to increase the number of qualified candidates for apprenticeship and increase retention rates among apprentices by providing them with a deeper understanding of the industry and role of craft unions in construction.
The Academy is supported by the Atlanta & North Georgia Building Trades Council, 22 affiliate construction unions and their Joint Apprenticeship Training Committees (JATCs) in partnership with community groups, contractors, and government agencies.
GABTA is supported by the Atlanta & North Georgia Building & Construction Trades Council, 22 affiliate construction unions and their Joint Apprenticeship Training Committees, alongside community groups, contractors, and government agencies.
Our program: MC3, OSHA, welding, forklift, first aid/CPR, solar, and more. We help you earn the credentials you need when you enter the job site.
Our career placement specialists work alongside you after completing your program to ensure you have a smooth transition into the workplace.
Every cohort ends with a ceremony to allow you to celebrate completing the first step in changing your future!
About GABTAOne quick application covers both YouthBuild and Trades Futures. Once you’ve applied, our team reaches out to get you started!
Complete your credentials and experience hands-on activities that show you exactly what a job in the construction field looks like.
Leave with the credentials you want. Everyone earns their MC3, OSHA, and First Aid/CPR, but that isn’t where it has to end. We also offer certifications in forklift/logistics and solar.
Move into a registered apprenticeship with one of 22 affiliate unions where you will begin earning a wage from day one while you finish training.
Hands-on experiences are one of the most important parts of our program. Participants strike an arc, run a bead, operate equipment, and work to the standards a job site actually holds them to because that is what an apprenticeship committee is looking for.
The Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3) is a comprehensive apprenticeship-readiness program (120 hours), which was developed and approved by the Building Trades National Apprenticeship and Training Committee and recognized by the US Department of Labor. MC3’s program design includes curriculum on tools and materials, basic math prep, construction safety, and financial responsibility. The MC3 provides a pathway for community residents to gain access to Building Trades apprenticeships and is a national industry-recognized credential.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) Program offers important training for construction workers, supervisors, and other personnel who should be aware of general workplace safety. Our hassle-free, online OSHA 10-Hour Construction course covers workplace hazards, employee rights, improving safety culture, and other key topics to prepare participants for the job site. Upon completion, all course participants will also earn their Department of Labor (DOL)/OSHA 10-Hour Card, allowing them to seek or maintain employment in construction. If desired, participants have the option to continue their training and earn their OSHA-30.
Introduction to Welding, a 30-hour course, will focus on the specific craft skill of welding and is provided by union-trained welding instructors. The goal of this component is to provide an introductory overview of welding craft, proper safety techniques, and build base knowledge which will lead to increased enrollment into welding-related apprenticeships. Training will include Welding History, Welding Process, Weld Joint, Welding Symbols, Safety, Welding Tools, Base Metals, and Weld Repair.
This course will teach individuals safe forklift operation procedures. The training combines classroom and hands-on with a road test. Students practice driving a sit-down, rider forklift and are required to complete a driving course. Upon successful completion of a written exam and driving course, each student is issued a certificate for class IV and V industrial truck which is good for 3 years. All materials provided, no book/material purchase required. The driving course is conducted outdoors for all classes.
Understanding first aid will grant you the ability to help those in need. Our first aid certification classes teach you how to respond to specific situations, which will help you care for people in crisis as they wait for medical professionals to arrive. This course will provide training in first aid, CPR, and use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).
Our one-on-one instruction includes 6 hours of time behind the wheel and a defensive driving class. Students 18 and under will be issued the 30-hour Joshua’s Law course. The road test will be issued onsite and passing participants will pick up their license from the DMV. Participants will be picked up, dropped off, and tested in the school’s vehicle.
Apprenticeship is how the construction trades have trained their people for generations. You earn while you learn, and you come out the other side with a career rather than a debt.
Build and install boilers and large pressure vessels in power generation, paper mills, and refineries.
Build walls, structures, and facades in brick, block, and stone.
Frame and finish commercial and industrial structures in wood, metal, and concrete from blueprints.
Install and maintain electrical and power systems, from commercial buildings to industrial robotics.
A rare and demanding skill set with excellent wages. Nearly every building in Atlanta needs one.
Move earth and materials with state-of-the-art machinery, using load calculations and crane operations.
Install, maintain, and repair heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems.
Install insulation on piping, HVAC, and process systems, saving energy and cutting emissions.
Whichever program fits, it starts the same way.
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