Sheet Metal Workers' Local Union 19
Joint Apprenticeship and Training Fund of Philadelphia and Vicinity

The Training Program for Local 19 instructs apprentices in the skills they need to work in today's construction industry. The types of jobs they are training for include heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), sheet metal fabrication, and architectural metal installation, including stainless steel, aluminum and copper and zinc. Safety and Health Training are major components of this programs. The program takes place in some of the most modern facilities for training, including the nationally recognized Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Lab, a Service Room that provides hands-on instruction on almost every type of HVAC equipment available, and state-of-the-art Cleanrooms for the most advanced ventilation training possible, and a testing facility accredited by the International Training Insatiate (iTi) and the American Welding Society. The program is comprehensive and requires time, commitment and attention. The courses apprentices take are demanding and require repetition, practice and professional instruction.

Here are some other important details about the program:

Time
Qualified apprentice sheet metal workers take part in a four year-program that ultimately requires 864 hours of classroom instruction before graduation. All the instruction won't be done in the classroom. A registered apprentice with Local 19 receives on-the-job training with cooperating employers in the area. Most of the apprentice training is done on weekdays, although some classes are held at night or on weekends.

Tuition
Since the union and employers make a big commitment to registered apprentices, apprentices are required to reciprocate by signing a commitment to repay their indebtedness. This repayment is done over time. The International Training Institute stipulates that during each year of an apprenticeship a predetermined cost of training will be loaned to the apprentice. It will be paid back over a period of ten years when the member works for cooperating employers that make contributions to the International Training Institute and the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Fund.

Wages
Qualified registered apprentices are paid for work hours and some training hours. In effect, apprentices are paid to learn.

The Facility
Classes are held in the Sheet Metal Workers' Training Center, a building erected in 1986 and designed specifically for training and instructing apprentice and journeyperson sheet metal workers. The building is a two-story structure enclosing 27,768 sq. ft. of classroom, shop, lab and office space. It offers a variety of instructional settings, some of which are unique to the region and the industry.

• Sketching and Layout Room
• HVAC Service Training Room
• Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Lab
• Fabrication Shop
• Welding Shop
• Computer Room (CAD lab)
• Architectural Metal Mockups
• Cleanrooms:
  • Class 100
  • Class 1,000
  • Class 10,000
• Orbital Welding Lab

Instructors
The Training Center is staffed by a full-time coordinator, three full-time apprentice instructors, and twenty-five apprentice and journeyperson instructors for evening classes. Through the International Training Institute, many of our instructors have undergone extensive training at Ohio State University.

Advanced Training
Registered apprentices who complete their training after four years advance to journeyperson classification and earn greater responsibility and salary. Journeypersons are offered the opportunity to enhance their skills through evening and weekend classes while maintaining a full-time job. Journeypersons also have the opportunity to work towards a college degree through the Training Center.

Qualifications
All Local 19 training courses are equal opportunity programs. To qualify as a registered apprentice, applicants have to fulfill the following requirements:

• Start the application process either at the Training Center or on any computer with Internet access. Completed applications are received at the Training Center on the second Monday of any month.

• Provide a birth certificate and two forms of identification.

• Take a general aptitude test

• Provide high school transcripts

• Undergo an interview process

• Pass a physical examination, including a drug test.

Aside from the entrance requirements, sheet metal apprentices should also possess a number of other important attributes. They should show an ability in math, including basic algebra, geometry, trigonometry. They also need good eye-hand coordination, spatial and form perception, and manual dexterity. Apprentices should also exhibit patience, dependability, attention-to-detail, and the ability to work and get along with others.

For more information, please contact:

Sheet Metal Workers' Local Union 19 Apprenticeship Program 1301 S. Columbus Boulevard Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19147 Contact: 215-952-1999 / Fax: 215-952-0410 Website: www.smwlu19.org