Getting into an elevator tech apprenticeship

In a hoistway or a machine room, learning a system that mixes mechanical, electrical and control work. Service routes mean you are on call, because people get stuck in elevators at inconvenient hours.

• 18 or older.
• High-school diploma or GED.
• Strong math and mechanical reasoning. The entry test is the real filter here.
• Driver's license.
• Drug screen and physical. No fear of confined spaces or heights.

These are what most programs ask. Every sponsor sets its own, so check the program page before you rely on any of it.

An aptitude test covering math, mechanical reasoning and reading, followed by an interview. Competition is severe: intakes are small and a lot of people apply, and some locals rank or draw from everyone who passes.

Application windows are narrow, sometimes only a few days a year, and are announced by the local rather than nationally. Getting on the notification list for your local is the whole game.

We do not list application dates, because no registry publishes them and we will not invent one. Calling the training center and asking is the only reliable way, and it takes five minutes.

• Prepare for the test properly. Given the ratio of applicants to places, an unprepared attempt is usually a wasted year.
• Apply to more than one local if you can travel.
• It is worth the persistence: this trade pays more than any other here, and almost everyone in it came through an apprenticeship rather than a college program.

None of this disqualifies you permanently. Most of it is a few months of work.