For decades, high school guidance counselors, media outlets and policymakers pushed the idea that four-year college is the only path to prosperity for working families. And for decades, huge swaths of the American population have suffered as a result — while college is a great option for some, many others put themselves in debt only to pursue work unrelated to their degree.
Now, the narrative is changing: Americans once again realize the value of a union apprenticeship. And in the Portland, Oregon, area — thanks to a new outreach training program — Local 16 members are stepping up to help recruit the next generation of sheet metal workers into SMART.
“Outreach is not new, but when I took on the role as the training coordinator, we thought we’d love to get more people in the union involved with the message that we share,” said Ben Wood, training coordinator at Local 16’s Sheet Metal Institute (JATC).
“We had members reach out and say, ‘Are you attending these career fairs? Are you recruiting people from this school district or that school district?’ And we found that there’s no way for us or the JATC to cover everything, and we needed members’ help,” added Local 16 Regional Manager Brian Noble. “So, we thought that we should put together a training to show members and train them on how to do outreach, and make sure that they know everything that they need to relay to new people being recruited in.”
The local held its first outreach training in 2023, gathering around 20 members to go over the basics of outreach; provide accurate and up-to-date information about the trade, the union advantage, pay and benefits, and more; and to help members tailor their outreach to specific audiences. That includes high schools, career and technical education (CTE) programs and career fair attendees, Wood explained. But it also expands into other core recruiting populations, such as parents, formerly incarcerated people, career counselors and the like. There’s one goal across the board: to recruit any and everyone willing to do the work.
“The reality is that our trade should be something that anybody could see themselves doing,” he said. “It’s whether or not you want to do, and have an aptitude towards doing, construction-type work. You shouldn’t see it as whether or not you look a certain way, you have a certain gender or you came from a certain background.”
With the first class conducted, members have since fanned out to help recruit in the Portland area. The local provides each member with recruitment kits, including informational flyers, sheet metal trinkets, stickers and a welding simulator, as well as funds to cover any lost wages from time off work used to attend outreach events. The end result: Potential new recruits hear about the union sheet metal industry from those who are most familiar with the subject matter, and rank-and-file members get the chance to demonstrate the principle that every one of us is an organizer.
“It creates the membership involvement that in turn creates good mentors and gets people involved,” Noble concluded.
