Plumbing board presses contractor to start apprenticeship program; denies two license applicants

The Plumbing Board asked the Department of Consumer Protection enforcement staff to require a Middlesex County contractor to register a bona fide apprenticeship program after the board concluded the employer had not documented on‑the‑job training for employees seeking Connecticut licensure. The board also denied two individual license applicants for insufficient documentation of required apprenticeship hours.

At the meeting, applicant Dylan Waitkus presented a letter from the town of Framingham, Massachusetts, stating he had worked there as a drain layer. Waitkus said the town provided a letter in lieu of a state-issued license and that he had classroom coursework from Central Connecticut and additional online classes. Several board members said the Framingham letter did not document the 2,000 hours of supervised on‑the‑job training required for Connecticut equivalency and asked Waitkus to enroll in a registered apprenticeship or to return with detailed, employer‑verified time records and test receipts.

Board members debated a broader pattern: the contractor that employs Waitkus has licensed P‑7 personnel but — board members said — has not registered an apprenticeship program in Connecticut, depriving employees of a standardized path to licensure. The board voted to ask enforcement to follow up.

Separately, two applicants were denied after members concluded their applications lacked required evidentiary support. The board voted to deny John Pelletier’s request for a P‑7 license after he acknowledged he had not completed a formal apprenticeship and was not in a qualifying employer program. The board also denied Thomas Graham’s application; Graham did not appear and the board voted in his absence.

Board Chair Chuck Appleby and several members emphasized consistency: applicants with out‑of‑state work histories must document the hours and tests that match Connecticut’s apprenticeship and examination requirements, or enter a registered Connecticut apprenticeship.

Formal actions recorded: the board voted to refer the employer (identified in the meeting as Zenelis/Xenellis/Sunellis Construction of Middletown — name appears variably in the transcript) to enforcement to establish an apprenticeship program; the motion passed with two abstentions. The board recorded denials for John Pelletier (P‑7) and Thomas Graham (application not completed). The board instructed staff to pursue enforcement and to notify applicants of the documentation needed for reconsideration.