The curriculum was designed to provide a systematic way of instructing apprentices preparing for various trades in the area of communications skills needed on and off the job. The core curriculum is developed in eight learning modules which are self-contained instructional packages: (1) effective verbal communications--understanding and being understood, (2) language problems--words are tricky and slippery, (3) listening--the most overlooked tool in communications, (4) the art of telling: how to present ideas in a talk, (5) effective written communications, (6) communications in formal meetings: simplified parliamentary procedure, (7) customer relations, and (8) rumor and the grapevine. Each module contains the following information: educational objectives, content, instructional suggestions, references, and background information. The objectives are based on expected terminal performance which the apprentice should exhibit at the end of the instruction. (Author/EC)