Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 1826)
The short title is the 'National Apprenticeship Act of 1957.'
The policy is to establish a national apprenticeship system through the voluntary cooperation of employers, workers, and interested agencies to meet the demand for skilled labor and increase productivity.
The Department of Labor is responsible for implementing the apprenticeship training program.
A person must be at least sixteen years old, have completed the high school course or as prescribed by the Secretary of Labor, show fitness for employment through certificates of school attendance, capacity, aptitude, and physical fitness.
The agreement must include full names of parties, date of birth of the apprentice, trade or craft, start and end dates, hours of work and instruction, training schedule, wage scale, probation period, transfer provisions, additional terms, and a clause for free copy issuance to the apprentice.
It must be signed by the employer or authorized agent, the apprentice, and if the apprentice is a minor, by the parent or guardian as well.
Apprentices must be at least sixteen years old and have completed high school or other courses prescribed by the Secretary of Labor.
Yes, during a probation period not exceeding five hundred hours or four months, the agreement may be terminated upon written request of either party and approval of the Department of Labor for good cause.
The Department of Education provides related and supplemental instruction, develops courses, enrolls apprentices in schools, keeps progress records, trains instructors, advises the Department of Labor, and assists in apprentice selection.
An apprenticeable occupation is one customarily learned on the job, recognized as a skilled trade, requiring 2,000 or more hours of work experience with related instruction, not part of a larger apprenticeable occupation, involving skill development with tools, and excluding sales, managerial, clerical, professional, semiprofessional, and agriculture activities as defined under R.A. 602.
The Secretary of Labor or his representatives investigate violations, hold hearings, issue subpoenas, and ensure fair hearings as per rules prescribed by the Department of Labor.
The aggrieved party may appeal to the courts within thirty days after notice; otherwise, the Secretary's decision is final and conclusive. Exhaustion of administrative remedies is required before judicial action.
No, the Act specifically exempts seamen from its coverage.
The apprenticeship contract must provide for not less than 2,000 hours of reasonably continuous employment, combined with related classroom instruction.
An appropriation of one hundred fifty thousand pesos or as needed from the National Treasury is provided to carry out the Act’s purposes and as a special scholarship fund for apprentices for the fiscal year 1957-1958.