International Training Institute (ITI)

Fifth annual Safety Champions Conference set for March

The Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT) plans to host the 2020 Safety Champions Conference March 22-24 at the Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio, 420 W. Market St. The conference continues SMOHIT’s…

Indiana apprenticeship focuses on service

Sheet Metal Workers Local 20 training centers in Gary and Evansville, Indiana, are meeting industry demand for more service specialists with new five-year service-specific apprenticeship programs. Sean Webb, who instructs general…

SMART Heroes second location celebrates first graduating class

SMART Heroes Local 9 in Colorado Springs celebrated its first graduating class Oct. 7. Three participants completed a seven-week course to earn the equivalent of their first-year sheet metal apprentice…

Five locals earn Platinum Designation at Eastern Regional Apprenticeship Conference

Mike Harris, program administrator of the International Training Institute (ITI), presented five sheet metal training centers with Platinum Accreditation during the Eastern Regional Apprenticeship Conference this spring. Locals who earned the designation include Local 85 in…

SMART Heroes celebrates first graduation in Colorado

Three service members graduated during Oct. 7 ceremony Three members of the United States military graduated as the first class of the SMART Heroes program’s Colorado location Oct. 7 at…

SMART Heroes graduates 39 new members in first half of 2019, announces second location

The first half of 2019 was a busy time for the SMART Heroes program, located at Western Washington Sheet Metal near Seattle. The program graduated 39 new sheet metal apprentices during three seven-week sessions,…

Ohio apprentice training coordinators use Skills USA to scout the future

Ohio sheet metal apprentice training coordinators, business managers, organizers and agents look for the best students to recruit to their apprenticeship programs, and over the years, they’ve found the state Skills…

ICB Conference takes on 18th year with camaraderie, grass roots successes, teamwork

The 18th annual sheet metal industry International Certification Board (ICB) Conference was held May 5-7 in Seattle with more than 150 attendees, including training coordinators, instructors, business managers, contractors, trustees and other…

Second SMART Heroes program set for Colorado

Partnership between sheet metal union, Fort Carson puts veterans to work COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – SMART Heroes, a program established to help soon-to-be or recent military veterans transition into a sheet…

Sheet metal locals share hosting duties for Mid-Atlantic state competition

Sheet metal locals in the Mid-Atlantic states came together May 2-4 at Local 27 in Farmingdale, New Jersey, to share camaraderie and competition during the region’s annual contest. Participating locals…

Northwest Apprentice Contest welcomes students from seven states

For the third year, sheet metal apprentices, coordinators, instructors, business managers and contractors came together in Portland, Oregon, for the Northwest Apprenticeship Contest, which hosted sheet metal students from Washington,…

International Training Institute welcomes new field representative, Lisa Davis

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…

Training centers rise to the challenge of accreditation

The International Training Institute (ITI) Accreditation Board periodically reviews and adjusts the requirements for its sheet metal training centers to attain accreditation. The board, which is made up of four members representing…

Indiana local hosts Ultimate Apprentice Contest

Indiana Sheet Metal Workers Local 20 apprentices from Evansville, Fort Wayne, Gary, Indianapolis, Lafayette, South Bend and Terre Haute competed in the Indiana Ultimate Apprentice Contest April 4-6 at the…

Companies contribute to program helping veterans find careers

SMART Heroes provides course to help veterans enter sheet metal apprenticeship FAIRFAX, Va. – To date, more than 10 classes and 142 veterans have graduated from SMART Heroes, a program that…

Region hosts first sheet metal apprentice contest in a decade

After a decade away, Midwest states participated in the first Great Plains Apprentice Contest Feb. 21 and 22 in Kansas City, Missouri. Twenty-eight sheet metal apprentices from six states and…

Heroic apprentice saves life of fellow co-worker, mentor

A few days following the Fourth of July last summer, journeyperson Scott Hintz and Dan Hubbard, a third-year apprentice, were working in the industrial shop with fellow craftspeople at Doral Corporation…

Training program addresses mental health wellness, substance abuse prevention

The SMART PREVENT Training Program contributes to the overall quality of life of the members of the unionized sheet metal industry with a special emphasis on preventing substance abuse and addressing mental…

New Mexico Contractor pushes to make fire life safety a priority

Nearly a decade ago, on the verge of the Recession, Tony Kocurek, owner of Energy Balance Integration LLC in Albuquerque, New Mexico, stumbled on an emerging market that would change his company…

Apprenticeship with 39 percent veterans earns national award

The recruitment of military veterans is a priority for the unionized sheet metal industry, especially on the training side. At Sheet Metal Workers Local 9 in Colorado Springs, the recruitment of veterans…

Sheet metal apprentices help dreams come true for nonprofit

Just like with many community service projects, this one began with a phone call. Larry Collette, a retired pipefitter, called the business office at Sheet Metal Workers Local 80 in Detroit to…

Apprentices do their part to provide clean water around the world

Although many Americans drink safe, clean water every day, many people around the world do not. During this summer’s national Skills USA competition, Sheet Metal Workers Local 110 apprentices had the opportunity to use…

Veterans get chance at career through Los Angeles program

Sheet Metal Workers Local 105 offers pre-apprenticeship program to military vets LOS ANGELES – Military veterans who have honorably transitioned into civilian life often don’t know what their next steps will…

Companies can contribute to program helping veterans find careers

SMART Heroes provides course to help veterans enter sheet metal apprenticeship FAIRFAX, Va. – Veterans transitioning to civilian life have many options. At Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near Seattle, honorably discharged veterans…

Inaugural SMART Heroes Program puts military veterans to work

Being discharged from the military can be exciting, but the unknowns and uncertainties of civilian life can also be scary. Luckily for eight U.S. military soon-to-be-veterans, as well as many…

Drug awareness seminar empowers apprentices to be the difference

Sheet Metal Workers Local No. 19’s September drug awareness seminar came from a simple place. “We’re tired of going to funerals, to be honest,” said Gary Masino, business manager. The…

Detroit’s Access for All, building trades are partners in progress

Labor, management tout program that helps low-income workers find careers DETROIT – When the economy crashed, many Detroit residents had to search for any job that could pay the immediate…

New training centers invigorate apprentice programs nationwide

Increase in work, contractor demand leads to growing programs FAIRFAX, Va. – Unionized sheet metal training centers across the country are undergoing construction or renovations or are celebrating completion due…

Training center, contractors work together to restructure training program

Apprentices employed, contractors are happy with training in Alaska ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Going back to the drawing board is a strength, especially when something clearly isn’t operating to its highest…

SMACNA president focuses on mentorship

Joseph Lansdell wants apprentices to benefit from others’ perspectives GREENWOOD, Ind. – Back when Joseph Lansdell, president of Indiana-based Poynter Sheet Metal Inc., was a sheet metal apprentice and college…