Back to Basics Sheet metal apprentices prepare for a modern HVAC career

By / Emell Derra Adolphus

Sheet Metal Workers Local 88 Training Director Ed Abraham was a third-year apprentice when he started drafting for one of the largest mechanical contractors in Las Vegas, Nevada.

His first job was the Bellagio Hotel, he remembers. “They brought me into the trailer and said, ‘Here you go, start drawing.’” Then in 1995, the company told him he was out of a job because they were going to go computerized.

“Well, I was willing to learn it, so they pulled me into the office and gave me the computer and software,” says Abraham, who ended up running the company’s CAD department for 28 years. “I was a one-man show for the largest mechanical contractor for a few years. I would slowly bring in people as jobs progressed, and I normally ran a crew of about 15 people.”

Early on, the experience taught Abraham to learn as many new skills as he could. Now, drawing on his more than 34 years of experience in the sheet metal trade, Abraham has made learning as much as you can a major part of the JATC’s core curriculum.

“That’s why we want a well-rounded sheet metal person,” he says. “Otherwise, you are just going to be sitting around on the books not working.”

As training director, Abraham is responsible for running the apprenticeship school and hiring the instructors for the program. Currently Currently, he has 23 instructors working at the training center.

This semester Local 88 has a total of 114 apprentices. “That’s a 40% increase in the last two years,” says Abraham. The training cnetre also recently accepted 30 first-year apprentices to start the 2020-2021 school year. “Once they start the school year, we will be up 50% to 60%.”

Prospective students come from all over and from a wide array of work backgrounds. “They’ve had the dead-end jobs, and they say they are looking for a career,” says Abraham. “A lot of it is word of mouth from friends that are in the trade. They see that these apprentices are doing well, and they get interested. We also do a lot of career fairs.”

The goal is to help new and potential recruits understand what a sheet metal worker is and the quality of career that is possible in the field.

“Anyone who isn’t excited to get up and go to work should move on or find something different,” he says. “The more skills you learn, the easier it is to find something that you truly love and that makes you happy.”

YEAR I & II

In most apprenticeship programs, the first and second years focus on plans, specs and honing motor skills and fundamentals. “Get them familiar with working with hand tools and reading the tape measure and reading prints,” Abraham says. “It’s not really about making the fitting; it’s everything that goes along with it. Most of the fittings are burned out on plasma tables in our shops. ”

In addition to the core curriculum of locks and seams, a crucial portion of the first-year program involves engaging apprentices to understand the situations and set-ups they will face at their daily jobs.

For an instructor, “It’s like herding cats,” says Steve Emery, a first-year fabrication instructor. “Realistically, we usually like to start out the week off by asking everybody if there is anything new going on at work or if they have any questions about issues or topics coming up at work,” he says. “I find it way more important to teach something they can go back to work and use tomorrow instead of just going through the book itself.”

Overall, Emery says that apprentices are very interested in understanding how all the many different relationships work together on a job site.

“They are interested in the total structure of the companies and the business more so than reiterating what they are learning on the job or in the field,” he says.

How Things Have Changed

“The big technology when I was coming through was the plasma tables,” Emery says. “Plus, there were no emails and no cellphones. We had a one-way radio.” Last year, Nevada also adopted a new law that says first-year apprentices must complete a Fire and Life Safety Program to be certified to install fire dampers and inspect them.

YEAR III

Third year focuses on electives such as advanced welding, food service kitchen equipment, drafting or BIM, service, or testing and balancing.

“They pick up two of those programs and run them throughout the year,” Abraham says. “In the recent 2 ½ years that I’ve been here, BIM and the CAD class have been overbooked. There was a shortage in getting detailers so everybody was signing up for that. The next most popular are the advance welding and service classes.”

The HVACR service portion of the apprentice program isn’t new, but the knowledge base of an HVAC service technician versus a sheet metal worker is often misunderstood because there are so many service-only HVAC training programs.

“That’s personal preference,” says Dave Heath, an HVACR service instructor with more than 30 years of service experience in the union. “Some guys enjoy being out in the field hanging metal. Other guys enjoy the technical aspect or the service side of it.”

Prospective students come from all over and from a wide array of work backgrounds. “They’ve had the dead-end jobs, and they say they are looking for a career,” says Local 88 Training Director Ed Abraham. “A lot of it is word of mouth from friends that are in the trade.”

However, apprentices at Local 88 learn the fundamentals of how to cut sheet metal, fabricate duct, install the duct, and service the HVAC system so that they are able to fulfill any role in the process.

In the service class, apprentices start on training boards, then they progress to servicing real, live AC units. “From there, we progress to checking compressors, fan motors, capacitors, etc.,” Heath says. “We try to cover everything.”

YEAR IV

At year four, apprentices have the opportunity to take another set of electives or advance courses in electives they’ve previously studied.

“These are the same class topics, but they all have an advanced component,” Abraham says. “Or apprentices can take an intro level in another service.”

Apprentices can take more than two electives as at a time, as long as they don’t conflict. But the most important service the training center provides is flexibility, Abraham says. As the popularity of electives rise and fall according to the skills the market demands, he is able to change the curriculum to fit what is needed.

When a class for a new in-demand skill is available, journeymen are notified. “We mail out letters to the entire membership and let them know what classes are available,” Abraham says. “That way we can get them into the class and get them certified to take any job they need. This ensures everyone stays working for as long as they want.” ▪

This article has been reprinted with permission from Snips magazine February 2020. Original link snipsmag.com/articles/94144-sheetmetal-apprenticeships-prepare-for-a-modern-hvac-career