Sheet Metal Workers - TRAINING
As leaders in the industry, we have developed one of the
most thorough and comprehensive training programs in the
entire nation. Our Training Centers utilize state-of-the-art
equipment and techniques to meet the changes in our
industry, yet never forgetting that quality must prevail.
Our program develops skilled sheet metal apprentices and
journeypersons who are competent in all aspects of our trade
and are able to work safely without close supervision.
Training highly skilled sheet metal workers is part of our
heritage, something that was started in the early years of
this century when we first included apprentices in our
membership. We formalized that responsibility in in the
early 1900's when our first off-site training program began
and set the standards for instruction and achievement.
Today, the program is governed by the Joint Apprenticeship
and Training Committee, a group of union and employer
professionals who realize the need to create a steady source
of skilled sheet metal workers. The cooperation between the
group stresses that training will provide the skills the
marketplace requires. It also indicates that hard work will
be rewarded with good employment.
Our local unions participate in the International Training
Institute. This is a national organization that includes
every Sheet Metal Fund in the country. They provide us with
a wealth of training information and materials that comply
with the highest standards of the industry.
Several Community Colleges now offer degree programs that give
significant credit for the courses taken through the
apprenticeship program. Just as graduate programs exist in
the Colleges we work with, there is extensive
postgraduate training available for the journeyperson sheet
metal worker. Continuing education is necessary to keep
current in the many special skills required in the sheet
metal industry.
Upgrade programs are available in: Computer Aided Drafting;
Testing Adjusting and Balancing of Air and Water Systems;
Specialized Welding techniques including American Welding
Society (AWS) certification and the latest Orbital Welding
techniques; and many other specialty programs.
Apprenticeship in our trades is a highly selective program
and each local union conducts their own training program.
If you're interested, you should contact the local for the
area in which
you reside. To learn more about us or the training
programs offered by a specific local union, contact us
today. Sheet Metal Workers Training News
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