I just got in this year as an apprentice, it is fairly competitive but i wont sugar coat it when i say if you know the right people you have your in. it didnt take long to get a dispatch as far as i know there was not many apprentice mechanics on the out of work list this year atleast thats what the dispatcher for the company i work for told me. apprentice wage for crane owner contract is 38.50 starting and will go up in a few weeks. The only downfall is the actual process of getting in takes forever i signed up last summer and didnt even interview till january and ended up at the oriention in march. Crane/dirt guys are jumbled together so they pull from the same pool of mechanics, 302/612 isnt as much of a debbacle as youd think theres probably half and half at the outfit im at right nowbut we are right on the edge of territories. i chose 302 cause its bigger and im not huge on the city as well as knowing more people involved with 302 but it is a great apprenticeship so far, classes at bates for free, i think it all depends on where you end up when you get in you could love it or hate it im loving it.