Strike Force Training
Architectural Training for Locals through the ITI By Don Procter Photos courtesy of International Trianing Institute and Local 46
The growth of architectural metal wall panel systems
has prompted the International Training Institute (ITI) to offer sheet metal Locals short notice training on the assembly of these oft-times complex systems. The idea is to fill a training void where members need additional skills quickly, says ITI Director Mike Harris. “The projected growth of this architectural sector is huge over the next four or five years,” Harris says, noting that architectural wall systems will spread into regions without prefabrication shops or trained contractors. This impending trend has prompted the mobilization of what the ITI calls its strike force training (SFT). “We want to make sure the guys are productive when they hit the ground,” Hannah says. One of the SFT modules the ITI organized was for metal composite material (MCM) panels made by Citadel Architectural Products. Local 46, Rochester, NY, was the first to take the crash course. 8 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
“Here’s the deal: Technology and the scope of work are constantly changing so we have to be changing, too, or we won’t be doing the work,” says Mark Miller, JATC coordinator, Local 46. For the cost of shipping, Citadel provided Local 46 with one set of the materials needed for the ITI mockup, which saved the Local $3,000. The company has extended that offer to any JATC. Detailed drawings of various mockups for wall panel and roof systems are available from the ITI. Miller says his Local would have organized a course on the assembly of Citadel’s panels on its own, if the ITI hadn’t already put one together because there is a burgeoning market for architectural accents. There is good reason for the growing popularity, he adds. “They come in all different colors, shapes, and textures. You can even make them look like stone.”
