TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The University of Arizona is sparking up an exclusive, four-year apprenticeship program this year to help a new generation of Tucsonans learn the tricks of some facility services trades.
University Facility Services Associate Vice President Christopher Kopach says it takes 700 employees to keep the 400-acre, 77-building campus running smoothly.
“Nobody knows the internal infrastructure of the University of Arizona," he said. "Nobody understands that better than our folks who are working in our University Facilities Services team.”
This year, that team is getting some extra help in the form of a returning apprenticeship program formed over a decade ago.
“We started in 2013," Kopach said. "We looked at our staff, we had a large number of staff who’d be retiring over the next ten years—in terms of 80 percent plus— and where do we get that technical knowledge running our campus?”
Their answer was to create workers with that technical knowledge through an apprenticeship program on campus.
The four-year program brings the classroom to carpentry workshops and boiler rooms, building on book-based knowledge with 8,000 hours of hands-on experience at the U of A.
Nine apprentices are enrolled in the program, narrowed down from a 600-person application pool.
One of those students, Daniel Mathesen, is two weeks into his apprenticeship.
“I’ve worked in a Navy ship, I’ve worked in manufacturing, and the amount of equipment, the amount of piping, the amount of possible things that can go wrong, it’s very intimidating,” he said.
He's one of two apprentices working at the University's Heating and Refrigeration Plant on campus, learning how to keep the lights on, water warm and air conditioning running across campus.
“It’s a very stable type of work that you know is going to be around for a long time," Mathesen said.
December 2025's Jobs Report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed an almost 400,000-person rise in unemployment, but little to no change in utilities and manufacturing industries.
The program brings in apprentices with a year of experience in engineering, carpentry, plumbing or HVAC repair. Four years later, they can graduate with a job offer.
“They will become official journeymen or women and just be able to go ahead and do a great job at the University of Arizona for decades to come," Kopach said.
Find enrollment details and more information on the program here.
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Alex Dowd is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9, where her work combines her two favorite hobbies: talking to new people and learning about the community around her. Her goal is to eventually meet every single person in Tucson. Share your story ideas with Alex via email, alex.dowd@kgun9.com, or connecting on Instagram or X.
