March 15-18 contest to bring more than 325 participants and their families to city
LAS VEGAS – More than 325 Canadian and American sheet metal apprentices, their families and other sheet metal professionals will travel to Las Vegas March 15-18 as part of the Annual International Sheet Metal Competition, which allows apprentices from throughout the United States and Canada to demonstrate their skills.
“We chose Las Vegas for our contest for a number of reasons,” said James Shoulders, executive administrator for ITI. “Las Vegas is conveniently located, has extensive quality meeting space and is affordable for our contestants and their families. Additionally, Las Vegas’ apprenticeship training center is one of the top facilities in the country. Las Vegas is very lucky to have such a state-of-the-art facility.”
Last year’s contest took place in St. Paul, Minn. In prior years, apprentices battled in regional competitions first, and the top 60 contestants continued on to the national competition. This will be the first competition with such a high number of apprentices gathered in one location.
Competitors will compete in five sheet metal disciplines including HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning), industrial/welding, service, architectural and TAB (Test Adjust Balance in heating and air conditioning). Each competition, no matter the discipline, consists of a written test, sketching projects, a shop project and a blueprint reading test.
“Sheet metal work is more than just a profession. It’s a skill and really, it’s an art,” Shoulders said. “This annual contest provides a fun way to bring together the top talent from our JATCs throughout the United States and Canada to test their knowledge and show off their skills.”
Hosted by the International Training Institute (ITI), the contest itself will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, March 16-17. An awards banquet will follow at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 18, in the Octavius Ballroom 25 at Caesar’s Palace – located on the Las Vegas Strip at 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m.
Activities for the competition will take place at Caesar’s Palace as well as at Sheet Metal Local #88’s Joint Apprenticeship Training Center – located at 2540 Marco Street, just off N. Nellis Blvd and E. Carey Ave.
More than 15,000 apprentices are registered at training facilities in the United States and Canada. The International Training Institute (best known as ITI) is jointly sponsored by Sheet Metal Worker’s International Association (SMWIA) and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA). ITI offers apprenticeship and advanced career training for union workers in the sheet metal industry throughout the United States and Canada. Located in Alexandria, Va., ITI produces a standardized sheet metal curriculum supported by a wide variety of training materials free of charge to sheet metal apprentices and journeymen.
For more information about the contest or ITI, visit www.sheetmetal-iti.org or call 703-739-7200.