Evolution of Training SMART Local 88's JATC is applying lessons learned from the pandemic and leading by example By / Natalie Bruckner While navigating a global pandemic has been extremely challenging for the industry, there are many positives that have surprisingly popped up along its winding path. One of these is an opportunity for joint apprenticeship and training committees (JATCs) to re-evaluate their approach to apprenticeship training. “I’ve been listening to a lot of the feedback from our instructors and apprentices over the past year,” says Local 88’s JATC Training Director Ed Abraham. “I’ve been watching closely to see what the impact new safety protocols and systems are having. I never expected they would ultimately create a paradigm shift in the way we look at training. It’s been a real eye-opener.” When Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak issued a statewide stayat-home order for Nevada’s three million residents back in March 2020, Abraham was ahead of the game. He had already spent months researching technologies and ways to ensure apprentices at the training center in Las Vegas could safely continue their education with as little disruption as possible, in case such an order occurred. Armed with this knowledge, Abraham worked with the JATC Board of Trustees and was given the charge to put into effect any measures necessary for the training center to begin its reopening— allowing classwork to continue, albeit on a smaller scale due to social distancing measures. “I knew how important it was to have in-person classes, so I went to the board with a number of things I wanted to implement to 4 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
ensure the safety of everyone, and the board approved,” Abraham says. “It cost us about $20,000 upfront to get the training center operational again, but we were able to get up and running very quickly.” “While training is utmost to the mission, it became a challenging dual objective because we also wanted to protect our apprentices in this global pandemic,” says Mandi Wilkins, executive vice president for SMACNA Southern Nevada and member of the JATC Board of Trustees. “The board was adamant that in-person training is a very important part of what we do, and we wanted to make sure the apprentices got what we were promising them. The employers also expect these apprentices are receiving top notch training. That means getting hands-on training before or in congruence with entering the job site so the employers are not overwhelmed with having to teach everything on the job. Being able to maintain that level of training and figure out a safe path through was crucial.” Among the measures implemented were bringing in a cleaning crew after class, requiring face masks and hand sanitizer, and adding security glass, an electrostatic sprayer to provide complete surface disinfection, and self-cleaning bi-polar ionization systems in all the units to clean the air. All students were also required to take the iTi’s COVID-19 Awareness online course before attending class. “I feel safer here at our training center than anywhere else, to
