Getting an apprenticeship started?

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So we have a ton of local fab shops out here. I know the best way to get into one ideally would be to go in a lot and make friends with the workers/managers in the shop and then one day possibly ask about apprenticeships, but none of these shops are even remotely looking for people, even unpaid broom pushers like myself... So whats your secret to getting into a shop?"...My pappy was a pistol I'm a son of a gun...""...God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy..."
Reply:It is likely tougher to get an apprenticeship than a job as a welders helper in a fab shop.  The bigger the ship the more employees they have, correct??  Start visiting the larger shops often and ask about the opportunity to work there.  Approach them honestly with your desires to learn their trade and offer to do whatever it is that they need for you to do.Expect to work hard, get dirty and don't let the frustration of being a beginner get you down
Reply:Attitude is the most important thing. If you have the desire to work and to learn the trade, someone will notice and give you a shot. I got an opportunity to work at a small shop (just the owner and I) because I kept asking him to let me come over and work for free as long as he would teach me to be a fabricator. Long story short, he paid me decent right from the start because I was motivated, eager to learn, and do any job asked of me.IAMAW Local 330Airco 300 AC/DC HeliwelderAirco Dip-Pak 200 with Profax spool gunPowr-Kraft AC225Everlast PowerArc 200stBuffalo Forge No.21 drill pressSpeedglas 9100xxAirco, Oxweld, Purox, Victor torchesLincoln Ranger 8
Reply:agree with the above but also be careful you don't end up pushing a broom or standing behind the cropper for months at a time. there are some employers out there who treat apprentices as a cheap source of labour