6 minute read
Back To School
Back To School
By Natalie Bruckner
Victoria (Tori) Wilson was in grade 8 when she realized she wanted a career where she could work with her hands. Like most kids, however, she had limited knowledge of the trades, and specifically the sheet metal industry. So when the opportunity came up to take part in the Sheet Metal Workers Cleveland JATC school-to-apprenticeship program, she jumped at the chance.
“Welding appealed to me, in particular, and seemed like a great career choice,” Wilson says. “I entered the program and found it extremely valuable, because it gave me an opportunity to learn on the job and, ultimately, go on to join the sheet metal union right out of high school.”
Cleveland’s school-to-apprenticeship program is helping diversify the industry.
Photo submitted by John Nesta and Tori Wilson.
Today, Wilson is a first-year apprentice with SMACNA Cleveland member T.H. Martin, Inc., and loving every minute of it.
The school-to-apprenticeship program began in 1997 when the Cleveland JATC and local career centers, with the support from sheet metal contractors and Local 33, agreed on a program to attract the top students into the sheet metal industry and help diversify the workforce.
“It’s a program that the trades had been trying to get established for many years,” says John Nesta, Construction Curriculum Specialist at Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD). “While the school-to-apprenticeship program started back in the late 90s with suburban career centers, it was always a little challenging to get the Cleveland schools on board due to bureaucracy.”
In 2018, CMSD, Max Hayes High School, and the JATC signed an agreement on the school-to-apprenticeship program, which would allow students who complete their school work to receive direct entry into an apprenticeship program.
“It’s a major step forward,” says Nesta, who directly oversees the school-to-apprenticeship program and brings with him a wealth of knowledge, having worked as the training coordinator at Local 33 for 27 years.
“The challenge for the sheet metal industry, like other trades, has always been outreach,” Nesta says. “We could never tap into the pool of qualified minorities. This school-to-apprenticeship program is tackling that problem head on.”
Two summers ago, three students went to work for two different contractors in Cleveland, one of whom was a minority male, one was a hispanic male, and one was an African American female. They worked all summer, and in October, two of those students went back to work part time. All three of them received direct entry and are now apprentices.
To qualify, students must be at least 17 years old, graduate with a minimum 3.0 average in their building construction or welding courses, and achieve an overall average of at least 2.5. They must also maintain 95% attendance in high school, two points above the state standard.
During the program, students earn $12.50 an hour, and when they graduate and enter the five-year sheet metal apprenticeship, they start at $14.84 per hour, plus benefits. They also earn college credits during the apprenticeship. Following that, they become journeypersons, with earnings around $37 per hour.
“It opens the window of opportunity and is breaking generational poverty trends,” Nesta says. “Kids from the worst part of town will end up making more money than their families ever have.”
School-to-apprenticeship student Matthew Gonzalez worked for SMACNA contractor Smith & Oby Company.
Photo submitted by John Nesta and Tori Wilson.
The success of the program (another four students took part in the program last summer), is also thanks to buy-in and support from sheet metal contractors and the union. In fact, Nesta goes so far as to say the contractors have been “phenomenal.”
T.H. Martin, Inc. is one of many firms that has been fully supportive of both the pre-apprenticeship program and the school-to-apprenticeship program and is seeing great success as a result.
“We get candidates that are interested and engaged in our industry,” says Thomas E. Martin, president of T.H. Martin, Inc. “By and large, it has been a very good experience for us. We have had about 10 individuals go through the programs over the years that are now full-time employees.”
Martin is also proud of the fact that SMACNA contractors were the first building trade association to sign up with the City of Cleveland. “It was a lot of hard work, but it was worth it,” he says. “The program gives men and women a good trade and a good living. It also helps with our diversity and inclusion initiatives, adding more people of color and women to the trade.”
Tori Wilson is a first-year apprentice with SMACNA Cleveland member T.H. Martin, Inc. in Ohio.
Photo submitted by John Nesta and Tori Wilson.
At T.H. Martin, students only work in the shop, due to legal age restrictions, but they learn about everything from how the company is structured to sheet metal fabrication and processing, welding, lining of ductwork, and safety. “We try to give them experience of fabrication throughout all our disciplines. They help us on our projects within our shop, and if they eventually want to become first-year apprentices, they have the experience,” Martin says.
Kendrick Hunt, 18, participated in the school-toapprenticeship program and is now an apprentice with T.H.
Martin. Hunt saw the program as a way of learning a valuable trade without getting into the cycle of student debt.
Student loan debt has ballooned over the past few decades. Americans now owe more than $1.53 trillion in student loan debt, and the average student loan debt amounts to $37,172. As a result, a shift in mindset is underway. College is no longer universally seen as the “best” route.
“For many years, schools were telling kids they were too smart to enter into construction,” Nesta says. “But not every kid wants to go to college, and it takes a certain person to become a sheet metal worker. We have been working with guidance counsellors to educate them on this.”
Ultimately, the Dayton program is not only providing more upward mobility and education for those interested in working in the sheet metal and HVAC industries, but also it is providing the Ohio industries with top, well-trained talent.
Al Simonitis, training coordinator at Local 33, says that the program “is the ideal way to feel-out new applicants and get them acclimated to the work environment.”
One challenge over the years has been a misunderstanding of the sheet metal industry, which Simonitis hopes the programs will help eliminate. “To offer high school students the opportunity to experience the sheet metal trade before they’ve committed to another career or college, is priceless,” Simonitis says. “There is less risk for a high school student to get involved as a school-to-apprentice student than for an adult with a job or career and a family. Older applicants often take a pay cut to start with us as a first-year apprentice. For a high school student, a summer job that pays almost 50% more than minimum wage is a great job opportunity.”
Martin adds that the impact of this program goes beyond education and beyond diversity. “The more opportunities we give young people the better,” he says. “We need to look at proactive options to find better talent for our industry. A lot of times people enter into our industry by word of mouth—a father, mother, or sister has worked in the sector. This is just a different avenue to spread the word.”
And as for advice about the school-to-apprenticeship program, Wilson says, “For any students that want to get involved, my best piece of advice would be to learn as much as possible, keep asking questions, and stay driven. If this is something you might be interested in, take advantage of this opportunity. I am very thankful for the opportunity that Fairview Park High School, Polaris Career Center, and the program gave me, and I am extremely thankful to T.H.Martin for taking me in, teaching me, and giving me real life experience.” ▪
Natalie Bruckner is an award-winning writer who has worked in the UK, 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.
