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 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

be honest,” says Steve Vantine, a full-time instructor at Local 88’s JATC and a former sheet metal craftsperson at MMC Contractors.

However, it was the social distancing requirements, as required under the Nevada Return to School Plan, that had the most unexpected impacts. Classroom layouts were modified, and class sizes and gatherings were decreased by 50%. While this took quite a bit of coordinating on Abraham’s behalf, he quickly realized there were benefits beyond the health and safety aspects.

“I am a great believer in dialogue and am always chatting with our instructors and working closely with our students,” he says. “The feedback I was getting was that the smaller classes were benefitting both the students and instructors immensely.”

As an instructor who teaches classes two nights a week at the JATC, Vantine has seen and welcomed the positive impacts of the adaptations. “The smaller groups allow me to do demonstrations far easier and capture the attention of the apprentices,” he says. “You spend less time trying to rally everyone together. It really wasn’t a difficult adjustment to make. In fact, it is far more comfortable.”

Antonio Saunders, a third-year apprentice who works for Ryan Mechanical says he, too, has greatly benefitted from the smaller class sizes. “It’s funny looking back to before the pandemic, because you realize how crowded the classrooms were in comparison,” he says. “It’s not like the teaching or the curriculum have changed, but it feels more personal, and there’s more oneon-one time. It’s easier for me to ask my question and get it across, rather than having 20 people in the classroom asking questions and the instructor having to wrestle with it all simultaneously. You can get lost in the crowd. Unfortunately, it had to be COVID that taught us this, but as far as the learning, I definitely prefer it this way.”

Even in his work with Ryan Mechanical, Saunders is seeing the positive impacts that the enforced social distancing requirements are having on his apprenticeship. “Ryan Mechanical has been amazing, and they are always willing to go out on a limb for us,” Saunders explains. “Because of the pandemic, we have to limit the number of people on a job, so that means I now work with one other guy, and that’s either a journeyman or a foreman. I feel I am getting a lot more experience, as they have the time to explain things to me, and I get to do more things. That one-on-one is really working for me, and I feel it is accelerating my skills,” Saunders explains.

The success of the fast-track reopening plan and the impacts on the training for instructors and apprentices has even caught the attention of those outside of the industry. It seems Local 88’s JATC has set a perfect example by adjusting so quickly and effectively, and Abraham is receiving calls from other training centers and school districts that wan to duplicate the model.

Moving forward, maintaining the smaller class sizes will depend on a number of factors. “The number of apprentices we take in is directly related to the amount of work projected for the coming year,” Wilkins says. “Most of the work that was ongoing when the pandemic started was scheduled to end in 2020, and other projects were on the books to start in late 2020 and 2021. Because of the economy and uncertainty, many of those projects have been delayed, and that changes our work situation. It will always be a bit of a juggling act.”

The Las Vegas JATC building is already stretched to capacity, and the trustees were in conversations pre-pandemic about expanding. “That is still something we have an eye on, even though it is two or more years into the future,” Wilkins says. “If we do that, it would allow us the additional capacity, especially if we are going to have smaller class sizes.”

While Local 88’s JATC currently has 22 instructors, looking ahead post-pandemic, Abraham says he will now be sourcing new instructors to maintain these smaller, more intimate class sizes. He admits that is not an easy task, especially when it comes to finding service and TABB-certified instructors, due to a limited pool; however, you can be sure that won’t stop him. Besides, the JATC model has proven itself because of the expertise behind it and the ability for the trustees to work together.

“The JATCs are crown jewels of the labor-management relationship,” Wilkins says. “It is the neutral zone in terms of labor relations. We come together because we have the same goal, and when we are discussing JATC curriculum, we look eye to eye. We leave our issues outside, and we work very well together toward mutual benefit. The JATCs are where we do that best.”

Natalie is an award-winning writer who has worked in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, the United States, and Canada. She has more than 23 years experience as a journalist, editor, and brand builder, specializing in construction and transportation. When she’s not writing, you will likely find her snowboarding, mountain biking, or climbing mountains with her rescue dog.