This guide contains information about apprenticeship programs in the skilled trades, especially in North Carolina. The guide, modeled in part on the "Ohio Apprenticeship Notebook," opens with a general description of the system of apprenticeship, including an account of the role of the North Carolina Department of Labor. The next section contains profiles of 20 skilled crafts (out of nearly 800 recognized apprenticeable occupations) that enroll a great number of apprentices in North Carolina. Each profile opens with a summary of the job description set forth in the U.S. Department of Labor's "Dictionary of Occupational Titles," and continues with a more detailed description of duties performed by the worker. Most of the job descriptions cover certain similar subjects such as entrance requirements, working conditions, tools and equipment, opportunities for women, job outlook, and upward mobility. Appendixes contain the following: (1) the 1992 average journeyman wages for newly completed apprentices; (2) a glossary of terms; (3) a list of North Carolina Department of Labor apprenticeship representatives and their addresses and telephone numbers; (4) some traditional questions and answers about apprenticeship; and (5) active apprenticeship programs by county with trades listed as of July 1992. (KC)