Four hands. One opening at a time.

§ 01 · The current opening — Apprentice (May 2026)

Our apprentice rotation is closing on Raymond Tavares, who is taking the Massachusetts journeyman exam in June. We are opening a new apprentice slot for a May 2026 start.

The slot is a full apprenticeship under the Massachusetts Division of Apprentice Standards, registered in our shop and supervised by Dom Medeiros (Master Electrician #ME-12740). It runs four years and qualifies the apprentice to sit for the Massachusetts journeyman electrician exam at the end. The shop's apprenticeship is a registered DAS program (#02-NB-241).

We pair the on-the-job hours with night classes at Bristol Community College in Fall River; tuition is paid by the shop. The apprentice rotates through all eight plates over four years, with formal sign-offs from each of the journeymen.

§ 02 · What we look for

We are not picky about your background and we are very picky about how you work. We do not care if you went to college, if you came from another trade, or if you are 22 or 47. We hire people who:

• Show up on time, every day, including the days nobody is watching.
• Take notes. Write down what they did so the next person can read it.
• Ask one question before they cause one fault. Ask a second question before they cause two.
• Are honest about what they don't know. Particularly under the deck of someone else's boat.
• Can carry a 90-pound roll of cordage up a State Pier ladder without injury.

We particularly welcome applications from women, from people of color, from veterans, and from current or former crew on commercial fishing vessels. The trade is whiter and more male than the population it serves; this is a thing we are working on, and the apprenticeship is the lever.

§ 03 · How we hire

The hiring process is short and offline.

1. Send us a one-page letter and your phone number. hire@acushnet-marine-electric.example. Tell us why this work and not another. Plain English.
2. We call. We ask three questions over the phone: what is the last useful thing you did with your hands, what's the last thing you read that taught you something, what is your safety record.
3. You spend a half-day at the yard with the crew, helping with whatever is on the bench that day. We pay you for the half-day at the apprentice rate.
4. We make a decision inside two weeks. We tell you yes or no with a real reason.

We do not do whiteboard exercises or trick questions. We do call references, including the captain of the last boat you worked on if you have one.

§ 04 · The apprenticeship rotation

The four-year program is structured around the eight plates. By the end of year four, the apprentice has signed off on every one and is ready for the Massachusetts journeyman exam.

Apprentices who finish here have a job offer at the journeyman rate at the end of the rotation. Two of our four current crew came up through it.

§ 05 · Pay, benefits, hours, and the way we treat each other

Wage progressions and benefits are listed above. Beyond the numbers: the shop closes for federal holidays without a fight; we do not call you on your day off unless someone is bleeding; we cover our own families' health insurance the same way we cover yours; and our retirement contributions are made on the same calendar for everyone, partner or apprentice.

We are not a union shop. We pay at or above IBEW Local 223's prevailing rates because that is the rate that makes the apprenticeship worth doing.^[2] If you come from the union and want to stay in good standing while working with us, we will discuss accommodations — ask Dom on the call.

If you would like to read about the people you'd be working with, the crew page has bios. If you'd like to see what the shop's working principles are before applying, the works page is the most honest version.

Send the letter to hire@acushnet-marine-electric.example. We read every one.