I can speak to this. In the early 90's you could walk into an Ironworker's union hall with a GED and be hired as a pre-apprentice with no prior experience in st

I can speak to this. In the early 90's you could walk into an Ironworker's union hall with a GED and be hired as a pre-apprentice with no prior experience in structural ironwork or fabrication for the princely sum of $8.50 an hour (almost double minimum wage). Day 1 you had health insurance and scheduled OJT to step up to apprentice, any work over 8 hours in a day was time and a half. Any work over 40 hours a week was time and a half. Hollidays and Sundays paid double. Guaranteed sick leave. Guaranteed breaks & lunch. Union hall handled 100% of your HR-related nonsense and also filled the role of recruiter to keep you working. If you wanted to travel they'd get you assigned to short term projects in around the country. If you wanted to stay home they'd look for a long term position for you at a local firm. I'm a little hazy on the exact timeline of events but at some point between getting your book and going Journeyman you started contributing to the union pension fund and monies were set aside for a retirement annuity. TL;DR: GED = double minimum wage, paid OJT, full medical/dental/vision insurance, retirement, annuity, and job placement services from day 1 in the door.