Lisa Davis took a somewhat unconventional path to becoming a sheet metal worker. After graduating from the University of California at Davis with a bachelor’s degree in biology, Davis changed her career path by entering the sheet metal apprenticeship program at Sheet Metal Workers International Association Local 16 in Portland, Oregon.
After completing her five-year apprenticeship and three-year service technician program at Local 16, Davis became very involved in the union. A self-professed lifelong student, Davis immersed herself in courses to become a full-time instructor in the service apprenticeship program at Local 16 and for the Building Trades Apprenticeship Program. During this time, she also organized and started a Diversity Committee and mentoring program at the local.
Davis said she is “honored and excited to take on the position of field representative for the International Training Institute (ITI)” and looks forward to working with all of the local training centers as a “resource for locals who are working to enrich their training programs — specifically those focused on service education.”
ITI Administrator James Page said Davis did more than just train apprentices in Oregon.
“She helped the young people coming through the JATC become really well-rounded individuals. Her commitment to the students at Local 16 extended beyond just teaching them the skills they need to become great sheet metal workers; she taught them about inclusion and diversity, and she mentored them to help them become the best versions of themselves,” he said. “We are lucky to have Lisa joining our staff, and I think our JATCs will really benefit from her knowledge as an instructor and from her amazing energy.”
More than 14,000 apprentices are registered at 148 training facilities across the United States and Canada. The ITI is jointly sponsored by SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (formerly the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association) 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 heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), welding and industrial, architectural and ornamental, and service and testing, adjusting and balancing industry throughout the United States and Canada. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, the ITI develops and 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 and its available training curriculum for members covering sheet metal trade work, visit the website or call 703-739-7200.
Originally posted on Eye on Sheet Metal.