Journeyman from Wisconsin wins new Dodge truck from Towbin Dodge
LAS VEGAS – More than 275 sheet metal apprentices and their families from the United States and Canada ventured to Las Vegas March 6-10 for the Annual International Sheet Metal Competition hosted by the International Training Institute (ITI) for the sheet metal and air conditioning industry.
Video of the contest can be found here.
Five apprentices from Sheet Metal Local Joint Apprenticeship Training Centers around the United States took top honors in the five sheet metal disciplines open to apprentices only: HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning), industrial/welding, service, architectural and TAB (Test Adjust Balance in heating and air conditioning).
The sixth category, detailing, was open to journeymen and apprentices, but only journeymen made it to the contest (after competing regionally for the top 12 detailing spots in the country).
The detailing category was added as a result of a shift in the industry. Detailing skills – which allow sheet metal workers to generate and manage building data on the computer using BIM (building information modeling) software – are becoming increasingly in-demand in the industry.
To encourage sheet metal workers to get certified in ITI’s Benchmark BIM training software, ITI awarded the winner of the detailing category with a brand new Dodge truck from Towbin Dodge.
“This contest is proof of the top talent our industry has to offer,” said James Shoulders, executive administrator for ITI. “All the contestants did a great job and really showed what they can bring to any job they’re hired for.”
The first place winners, announced at the banquet the evening of March 9, include:
Industrial: Ryan Burton, 29, of Kansas City, MO
Architectural: Matthew Postma, 24, of Everett, WA
HVAC: Nick Bundy, 31, of McCleary, WA
Service: Daniel See, 27, of Sacramento, CA
Testing Adjusting Balancing (TAB): Casey Wilson-Williams, 29, of Gig Harbor, WA
Randy Girard, 38, of Muskego, WI – employed by Illingworth-Kilgust Mechanical out of Madison, WI – received first place in the detailing category and drove away with the big prize – the biggest ever awarded at the contest – the Dodge truck.
Aside from detailing, each category consisted of a written test, sketching projects, a shop project and a blueprint reading test.
“The unionized sheet metal industry is ahead of the curve when it comes to building information modeling in the construction industry,” Shoulders said. “It is the future of our industry. The detailing contest demonstrates our level of commitment.”
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 supports 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 ITI, visit www.sheetmetal-iti.org or call 703-739-7200.
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