JATC

Careers in Sheet Metal

Work with a Skill and Purpose

There, on the frontiers of technological progress, where the abstract dreams of scientists are translated into the practical realities of new equipment, the men and women of the sheet metal and air conditioning industry play an extremely important role.

These sheet metal specialists are, in effect, the bridge between concepts and practice in the realm where new ideas are constantly being tested.

Obviously, this work requires devotion and skill. It requires, in addition, training ... from which comes experience and judgment. It requires attention to detail ... dexterity ... a mechanical, manipulative skill. It requires the ability to solve problems and make decisions.

These are the requirements. To the young men and women who meet these standards, work in the sheet metal and air conditioning industry provides rewards both for the spirit and for the bank account. Through the collective bargaining agreement process between responsible employers and local unions, the pay rates of sheet metal workers have risen steadily. For those who complete an apprenticeship training program, this is an industry that is rewarding in terms of varied job opportunities and in one's standard of living.

We Attract Bright People

This industry attracts bright young people. It is no place for the persons who are content with a mindless kind of assembly line routine. It is no place for the persons who mistakenly believe they can slide through life without skills or responsibility.

But, if you're the kind of person who likes a challenge ... who knows that all human knowledge doesn't come from books ... who has the basic talent to move through a five-year apprenticeship and emerge as a resourceful person of specialized training and skill ... then you should be thinking about a future in sheet metal and air conditioning work.

There is work to be done. This industry is involved with some of the most sophisticated technology in American economic life. A couple of decades ago, sheet metal workers were primarily concerned with ventilation and air conditioning. Many of our people are still involved in that important sector of the industry.

Today, however, the work has vastly expanded. As an example, sheet metal and air conditioning workers are employed in the national effort to save the American environment from air pollution. In fact, sheet metal workers are involved with the application of all types of sheet metal: from installing solar systems in residential and commercial buildings, to fabricating beautiful stainless steel counter tops for cafeterias and restaurants. Everywhere, the sheet metal worker is the bridge between theoretical idea and practical reality.

A History of Cooperation

Our union -- the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association -- and our contractors -- the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association -- enjoy a long history of close cooperation in apprenticeship and training. Both agree totally that this important industry needs to attract the best possible apprentices on the basis of talent and aptitude. The current strength of the sheet metal industry bears witness to the wisdom of this attitude.

That's one more reason why you may find it a very attractive and rewarding opportunity to learn and work.

Apprenticeship Opportunities

A study made of 1,500 apprentices five years after completing their apprenticeship provided the following information:

• Ninety-five percent were still employed in the same trade.
• Forty-one percent had advanced to positions of supervision or had become contractors or employers of a business associated with their trade.
• The earnings of persons completing apprenticeship were thirty-three percent higher than the average earnings of factory workers during the same period and within the same area.
• Eighty-three percent indicated they regarded the apprenticeship as a distinct advantage and would advise other persons to serve an apprenticeship.

• Excerpt from: National Training Fund/Apprentice Workbook/One

Has Building Something Been in Your Bloodstream Since You Were a Kid?

Do you enjoy working with your hands as well as your mind? Have you always wanted to know what makes things tick? Do you get your kicks from taking things apart and putting them back together?

If you do all these things and enjoy them, there are some fine opportunities waiting for you when you graduate from high school ... opportunities where you can make the most of these natural skills ... opportunities that will give you a good "leg up" on the ladder of success.

Best of all, these careers are open to you even if you do not go to college! You'll need training ... lots of it ... BUT ... the paychecks can start almost as you graduate ... you will earn while you learn!

Think about it ... paychecks that you earn while you learn ... for a skilled craft ... in a fast moving industry ... with opportunities at the top ... doing things you enjoy!

Be a Partner in the Nation’s #1 Industry

Things are going on ... and up ... around us. Everywhere we look are new schools, apartments, hospitals ... nuclear power plants, huge chemical complexes, gigantic military and space facilities. that's the construction industry ... worth billions of dollars a year!

There's a career here for you.

The sheet metal trade ... an important part of the construction industry ... always needs highly trained, highly skilled men and women who know their craft, and it pays them well.

It rewards the ambitious person who gains experience ... and improves his skills. It will help you to GROW with the industry as a journeyman ... supervisor... and even owner ... making you a true partner in progress.

Take a Test ... Answer Some Questions

Let's first be sure you have the qualities for a successful career in a skilled craft. Answer these questions for yourself as honestly as you can.

1. Have you finished or are you about to finish high school? Yes / No
2. Did you do well in your math course? Yes / No
3. Did you take drafting and enjoy it? Yes / No
4. Do you like shop work and doing things with your hands? Yes / No
5. Are you willing to work and also go to school? Yes / No
6. Are you healthy, with no major disability, and no fear of heights or climbing? Yes / No
7. Would you be willing to work outdoors in varying weather conditions as well as indoors? Yes / No
8. Are you willing to serve four to five years of apprenticeship training in the sheet metal industry? Yes / No
9. Are you willing to get your hands dirty? Yes / No
10. Would you like to be a skilled union sheet metal worker? Yes / No

If you said "YES" 7 or more times, you probably have what it takes to learn one of the finest trades in the construction industry.

You most likely have the necessary basic skills ... in understanding and appreciating what you see ... in working well with your hands. You have the right attitude ... a pride in true craftsmanship ... and a desire for lifelong satisfaction in doing a job well.

You have the desire to learn ... by giving some of your own time ... to earn the right to a good wage ... and the opportunities of the future.

Earning While Learning

It's important to start earning as soon as you can. You will want to establish yourself, perhaps marry and start a family. You'll want to live in reasonable comfort; you'll want to be able to enjoy your leisure time; you may want to prepare, even now, for your retirement years.

You may never have asked how much a person earns during a lifetime. At today's income rates you can expect to earn, as a skilled worker, approximately a million dollars in your lifetime. On the average, a college-trained man may expect to earn a little more; however, the cost of his education should also be considered. The fellow who gets no training after high school has an earning ability of little more than half of what you can earn as a skilled, trained craftsman!

Should you become an apprentice, remember that the unionized sector of the sheet metal industry not only pays you for your on-the-job training, but also pays for the training you are provided; and as a result, you will be required to sign a commitment acknowledging your indebtedness for the related training you receive.

Basic Requirements

In some areas of the country written examinations and/or personal interviews may be required to establish your aptitude for this industry.

The industry needs willing, skillful, trained craftsmen. Selection of apprentices under this program is made from applicants on the basis of qualifications alone and without regard to race, creed, sex or national origin.

Working Requirements

The sheet metal worker is employed indoors and outdoors in all types of weather. Although the work may be seasonal in areas of extreme cold weather, the sheet metal worker oftentimes can be seen indoors (in a shop) fabricating materials to be installed at the present or a future job site.

Sheet metal work is challenging because of its constantly varied nature. It involves considerable standing, bending, reaching, and lifting, as well as work at heights, in both cramped and easily accessible spaces, and in cold construction sites and warm shops.

Although hazards are kept to a minimum by following safety measures, the sheet metal worker is subject to cuts from sharp metal, burns from soldering and welding equipment and falls from heights.

Personal Requirements

A sheet metal worker should be in good physical condition and have above-average mechanical and mathematical ability. He also needs eye-hand coordination, spatial and form perception, and good eyesight and manual dexterity. He should like and have ability for shop courses, mechanical drawing, and basic algebra. Assets in sheet metal work include patience, dependability, accuracy and an ability to get along well with others.

Your First Year Training Begins

Your term of on-the-job training will be at least four to five years (approximately 8,000 to 10,000 hours) of reasonably continuous employment. The number of school hours will be not less than 144 hours a year or 576 hours during your apprenticeship.

In some areas an initial part of your apprenticeship is a probationary period. During that time, if you discover that you are not suited to the work, or if your employer believes that you are not advancing according to the committee standards, the Apprentice Agreement can be terminated. After the probationary period is over, the Agreement can be canceled by the committee for good cause.

Some of the subjects which you will be introduced to in your first year are the basics of pattern layout and development, drafting, use of sheet metal hand tools, the application of mathematics to the sheet metal trade, and safety as related to fabrication and installation procedures.

Classroom instruction can be in the evening one or more times a week or, in some areas, classes are conducted during the day.

The Second Year

During your five years of apprenticeship, you will be trained in many phases of the trade, with major emphasis on "hands on" learning, backed up by enough classroom and study work intended to assure a complete understanding of the "why" of everything you do. You will work, both at the job site and in the shop, with experienced, practical thinking journeymen. Your instructors, in the classroom, are picked for their knowledge of theory as well as their practical experience.

The materials you work with, both metals and their substitutes, will receive much of your attention in the second year. You will also begin developing skills in basic plan and specification reading and continue to strengthen your knowledge of triangulation, radial line and parallel line development, the three concepts used for making sheet metal patterns.

The Third Year

The experience you have gained over the past two years now begins to show its importance as you are given more and more responsible work assignments. You begin now to work more on your own, with less direct attention from your journeymen associates. Your work becomes more meaningful as you accomplish more and more. You'll probably begin to point with pride to finished work you did by yourself. Your challenges will become greater ... you will also receive instruction in areas you never dreamed you would learn ... such as solar installation, hoisting and rigging, soldering, and energy management and retrofitting of environmental systems ... all in a more advanced way. Your earnings and sense of progress will increase with each year

The Fourth Year

At the end of this year you should reach journeyman status. All the more difficult jobs are becoming easier every day. Many job assignments are now done with little more than routine check by a journeyman. You're familiar with the reading of more complex plans and specifications. Your knowledge of heating, cooling and ventilation systems continues to expand. Components such as fans, dampers, and filters are old acquaintances. You are now studying subjects which apply to the fine tuning of those systems, the many techniques of welding, and the functions of compressors and condensers in the refrigeration cycle.

As you reach the end of your term of apprenticeship, you have more than doubled your earning power in what you now consider a very short span of four years. More important, you are now prepared to step forward into the role of Journeyman Sheet Metal Worker.

Example of a Job - “Yourtown” High School

Step 1

• "Yourtown" needs a new high school. An architect is hired to design the school, an engineer is hired to design the internal system.

Step 2

• After "Yourtown" approves the design, final plans and specifications are made. All the qualified contractors in "Yourtown" are asked to bid on the total school construction work ... whether it is general construction, plumbing, heating, ventilating and air conditioning or electrical work.

Step 3

• Bids are opened and the lowest bid within the strict specifications of the jobs is awarded. Great responsibility has now been placed on various contracting firms and judgment made of their performance reputation. NOW the work gets under way.
• Here is where you begin!

Step 4

• Area surveyed and site excavated
• Concrete foundation poured and structural steel framework is erected
• Final design drawings of heating, ventilation and air conditioning system submitted for approval by architects and engineers
• Architectural sheet metal roofs, gutters and down spouts are installed
• Storm water and sanitary piping laid

Step 5

• Rough carpentry, framing of walls, windows and doorways completed
• Plumbing and primary electrical distribution systems are installed
• Duct work and other sheet metal components relating to the building such as stainless steel kitchen equipment and decorative canopies are fabricated in a sheet metal contractor's shop
• Masonry work begins

Step 6

• Boiler and pumps are installed
• Air conditioning equipment set in place
• Duct work and components such as fans, louvers, dampers and air filters are installed
• Temperature controls and telecommunications are installed.
• Sheet rock walls are set up

Step 7

• Finish carpentry is completed
• Lighting fixtures are hung
• Plumbing fixtures are set
• Painting is completed
• Registers and grilles are installed
• Metal lockers and stainless kitchen equipment are set in place
• Architect, engineers and owner complete final inspection

Your Opportunities to Move Up in the Sheet Metal Industry

Opportunities are wide open in an industry growing as fast as the construction industry, and particularly in a trade that is every day becoming more and more important. Everywhere the application of materials which characterizes sheet metal work is more and more apparent ... in decorative interior and exterior paneling ... in chemical processes ... in air conditioning and comfort control ... in many other important uses.

What you make of these opportunities depends largely upon your work and the amount of responsibility you are willing to accept. Any person who is eager, able and dependable becomes more valuable in better paying positions. Such a person naturally moves to the top.

To help you move to the top more rapidly after you have become a full journeyman, advanced courses of training are available to you in many areas through journeyman training courses, made possible by cooperative efforts of the local Sheet Metal Contractors' National Association, the local union for the Sheet Metal Workers International Association and the National Training Fund.

Supervision ... as a lead man or foreman ... or perhaps as a superintendent ... is a good possibility for the skilled craftsman who works well with people and who has learned to master the responsibilities of leadership. Other opportunities which may become available include that of apprentice instructor, training administrator, or, perhaps, participation in union leadership.

Ultimately, you may even look forward to the role of a union sheet metal contractor. Many contractors have formed their businesses by working up through the ranks. This is not likely to change in a business where the skill and training of the individual craftsman is so important to the finished job.

Who Makes This Program Possible?

The Sheet Metal Industry's Apprenticeship Program provides excellent career opportunities for young people like you, and at the same time, provides skilled union craftsmen in a growing industry.

The apprenticeship programs are administered by Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committees (JATCs). The committees are composed of representatives from the local Sheet Metal Contractors' Association and the local union for the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association. The program may be conducted in cooperation with the vocational training department of your local school system or, in many instances, the committee has its own training facility.

You and the Employer

Your employment as an apprentice will be with the contractor to whom you are assigned by the Joint Apprenticeship Committee. Your employer is required to maintain apprenticeship standards, pay the appropriate wage, and provide the opportunities for you to learn everything you will need to know as a trained journeyman.

You and the Union

As an apprentice, under the training cosponsored by the local union of the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association, AFL-CIO, you must comply at all times with the rules, regulations and requirements of the union as they apply to apprentices. When you complete your training and become a qualified journeyman, you will then comply with those rules which apply to the journeyman members.

The Apprenticeship Agreement and Scholarship Loan Agreement

Upon acceptance by the local Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) you will be required to sign at least two documents which are considered contracts. One is the Apprentice Indenture Agreement, and the other is the Scholarship Loan Agreement (SLA).

The Apprentice Agreement simply states that you agree to abide by all rules and regulations applicable to apprenticeship, and the JATC agrees to train you to become a union sheet metal worker.

The Scholarship Loan Agreement is a recognition on your part that certain costs of your training will be paid by your "future working efforts" as a union sheet metal journeyman. It is not a burdensome contract; it says, in essence, that if at any time you work in the industry for an employer not signatory to a collective bargaining agreement (the contract between the local contractors and local unions) that provides for employers' contributions to the ITI and the local JATC, you agree to pay back to the ITI and the local JATC that portion of moneys which your working effort has not yet covered.

Your commitment to the Scholarship Loan Agreement will generate the contributions to replenish the moneys both the ITI and the local JATC need, not only to train you, but to train future generations of sheet metal workers.

Upon Completion

You will be issued a certificate of completion after successfully completing your term of apprenticeship and passing all examinations required by the local JATC.

SMACNA is ... The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning National Association

The national association represents outstanding sheet metal and air conditioning contractors located throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Contractor members are engaged in literally every facet of today's sheet metal industry -- including heating, air conditioning, ventilation, industrial plant work, kitchen equipment manufacturing, architectural sheet metal, production processes, specialty fabrication and more, much more.

Through their association, SMACNA members are constantly striving to upgrade the industry with the development and presentation of a variety of standards, specifications, guidelines and the like for modern sheet metal application. The publications which are highly regarded throughout the construction industry are often referred to in the plans and specifications designed by architects and engineers.

SMACNA also serves the industry through a large number of management, safety, research, labor relations and legislative projects and programs.

SMACNA is affiliated with over 100 independent local Chapters which implement the organization's programs on the local level while guaranteeing local input into national policies and deliberations.

SMACNA is the modern culmination of contractors' cooperative efforts going back to the early 1900's. In its present form, SMACNA was chartered in 1943 and established national headquarters in metropolitan Washington, DC in 1967. The extremely competent and diverse national staff works closely with the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association, the National Training Fund and other leading construction organizations to assure the continued availability of qualified craftsmen and modern technology to the industry now -- and for the future.

SMWIA is ... The Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association

It represents union employees in the industry ... some 160,000 men and women of every race, creed and color, who are brought together by their common interest in the work they perform.

SMWIA, formed in 1888 in Toledo, Ohio, is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, the Canadian Federation of Labor, the International Metal Foundation and the International Federation of Building and Woodworkers. It is also a member of five specialized departments of the AFL-CIO: Building Trades, Metal Trades, Maritime Trades, Railway Labor and Union Label.

SMWIA has local unions functioning in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. SMWIA's local unions hold agreements with all types of sheet metal contractors. The union's jurisdiction includes the installation of furnaces in homes to the pollution control centers that clean the air we breath.

The union has worked closely with the contractors' association in establishing training programs that will help meet the demand for more and better trained employees in this, the fastest growing and most diversified technological industry in our nation.

SMWIA is convinced that one important key to our national progress is the corps of skilled workers -- the men and women who have the knowledge and experience to translate plans and specifications into working structures serving the people of the community.

SMWIA believes that these men and women deserve to be well paid for their skills, and the record shows an upward curve for the wages and the benefits the union's members receive as a result of the collective bargaining process with employers.

ITI is ... International Training Institute for the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Industry

The International Training Institute (ITI) is a nonprofit organization jointly administered by the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association (SMWIA) and The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA).

Its objectives are based on the fact that the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Industry is one of the most rapidly growing and progressive within the North American continent.

Recognizing the many challenges and opportunities associated with the growth, the ITI is helping the unionized sector of the industry with its commitment to provide the very finest craftsmen in terms of competitive skills and knowledge; one, by developing and maintaining a comprehensive up-to-date training curricula for apprentice and journeyman training programs; second, by researching and monitoring technological changes that affect the needs of union sheet metal workers and union contractors; and third, by making architects, engineers, and the general public aware of the industry's commitment by participating at trade exhibitions, sponsoring an annual national apprentice contest, and by using other promotional media, such as this brochure.

In addition to establishing programs for the fabrication and installation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, other examples of ITI's accomplishments include specialty subjects such as welding, installation of solar energized HVAC systems, servicing of HVAC systems, and energy management.

Another illustration of ITI's effort to stay abreast of the constant changes in the industry is the renovation of the many buildings dating from the Colonial Time to the present. This has created a revitalized interest in architectural sheet metal, i.e., store fronts, entryways, canopies, copper roofs, etc. Naturally some of the skills associated with those days have been dormant or, in some cases, long forgotten. So today, throughout the fifty states and parts of Canada, the ITI furnishes a curriculum devoted to that specific need.

All this achievement by the ITI reflects the desire and dedication of a "team effort" by members of labor (SMWIA) and management (SMACNA).

If you have the motivation and attitude this industry seeks, your future could very well place "you" as a member of the sheet metal and air conditioning industry.

Your Responsibilities as You Become an Apprentice

There are obligations which you must satisfy as an apprentice:

1. You must conduct yourself at all times in a credible, ethical and moral manner, realizing that a lot of time, money and effort are being spent by others in giving you this opportunity to become a skilled craftsman.
2. You must work for the employer or employers to whom you are assigned as long as the agreement is in effect.
3. You must perform diligently and faithfully the work of the trade, and other assignments made by your employer or the JATC as provided for under the Apprenticeship Standards which are established by the JATC.
4. You must make all reasonable effort to protect the property of your employer.
5. You must develop safe working habits and must conduct yourself in a way which will protect you and your fellow workers.
6. You must attend classes regularly, and must complete satisfactorily the number of hours and the subject matter of the training course.
7. You must follow the working rules and regulations of your employer, the union and the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee.
8. You must support your local union and pay necessary dues and fees when required.

Yours Can Be A Great Future

As you make your choice, remember these important career advantages in the Sheet Metal Industry:

• You'll be a partner in one of the biggest, most important, fastest growing industries in the country...
• You'll be part of an industry that has always provided an excellent income, and that has an outstanding record for steady employment...
• You'll have numerous advancement opportunities. They can be either with the union or as a supervisor. Eventually you could decide to become a sheet metal contractor...
• You'll have skills and training which are in demand and for which the demand is always growing...
• You'll have training and a craft skill which is YOURS... something you'll always find useful and rewarding...

Add them up... and decide. We hope we can say to you..

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