In college, students take classes to achieve their degrees, and after graduation often participate in workshops and earn additional degrees and certifications to keep the knowledge of their chosen career fresh and current. It\u2019s should be no different for sheet metal workers.
\nIn a post-recession world when contractors can scale back when the work is low and hire when the demand is high, continuing education could be the key to employment.
\nJason Bowers is four years into his five-year apprenticeship at Sheet Metal Workers\u2019 Local 206 in San Diego and is eager to learn all facets of the trade, which includes taking as many classes, and earning as many certifications, as he can. He treats earning certifications like specialty classes needed to complete a major in college.
\nHe currently holds certifications as a testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) technician, AutoCAD and Title 24, California Acceptance Testing. He also is brushing up on his welding skills.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s free, and it\u2019s obviously a strength,\u201d Bowers said. \u201cIt\u2019s a good thing to have. It\u2019s just as good, if not better, than college.\u201d
\nBowers was working for an architectural sheet metal company when work began to wane. Because he also holds TAB certifications, he was able to jump ship and go right to work for a local TAB firm.
\n\u201cI want to lead by example,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t spend any time on the bench, laid off.\u201d
\nJohn Roberts, currently the balancing division manager for APS Air Balancing, a division of Art Push and Sons, Inc. in Omaha, Nebraska, started out as a sheet metal apprentice in Los Angeles, where he learned first-hand how certifications can not only save your job, but they can jump start your career.
\nMore than a decade ago, Roberts had been laid off from two jobs when he transferred to Local No. 3 as a third-year apprentice. Ready to not ever be laid off again, he set off to take every opportunity to earn every certification available to him.
\n\u201cI wanted to make myself as valuable to an employer as possible,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I was to get laid off or if the company was to fail, I would be left to go back and take whatever was available. So, whatever class I could take, I took. And it worked. I haven\u2019t been laid off in nine years.\u201d
\nToday, as a manager, Roberts sees it from the employer\u2019s perspective.
\n\u201cIf a contractor is looking at two equally qualified people, they aren\u2019t going to lay off the person with a pile of certifications compared to the person without them,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t like our technicians to be pigeon-holed. The more certifications they have, the more valuable they are. That way, no matter what job comes up, I can take any guy on my crew and send him on any job. So, I encourage people to get as many certifications as possible.\u201d
\nEven as a manager, he hasn\u2019t grown complacent.
\n\u201cIf something happens, you could be standing out on the street with 50 other air balancers,\u201d Roberts added. \u201cI always wanted to stand out.\u201d
\nWhen work is slow, a company\u2019s bottom line is at stake, which causes them to scale back the work force. Most contractors will say they don\u2019t enjoy laying off their workers. They want the work. They want the employees. And when contractors have a reason to keep them, all the better.
\n\u201cIt gives our union sheet metal workers better opportunities to keep their jobs,\u201d said Tim Martin, president of T.H. Martin, Inc. in Cleveland. \u201cWe always tell our employees the more certifications you have, the more likely you are to keep and maintain your position. From welding to safety to fire life safety, more and more jobs are requiring more and more certifications. It\u2019s advantageous of them to continue their educations.\u201d
\nWith energy efficiency being required by code, Pat Pico, veteran TAB instructor for Local No. 104 in Northern California, said the way things have always been done is changing course. There is a driving force behind certifications absent a decade ago.
\n\u201cIf you don\u2019t take these classes and earn these certifications, you\u2019re a sheet metal worker with one tool in your tool box,\u201d he said. \u201cWhy not have more tools?\u201d
\nTwenty-five years ago, when Pico started in the trade, there was one TAB certification. Today, there are eight specialized certifications available for technicians and six for supervisors. The most in demand certifications are Fire Life Safety Technician Levels I and II, Energy Audit Technician and Mechanical Acceptance Testing Technician. Although it\u2019s required for California only, the latter is being examined for adoption in other states across the country, Pico said.
\n\u201cYou definitely want to get it now,\u201d he said of the Mechanical Acceptance Testing Technician certification. \u201cOnce the opportunity shows up, you\u2019re ready to go.\u201d
\nSome certifications are less time-consuming than others. A journeyman sheet metal worker can complete an HVAC Fire Life Safety class in eight to 16 hours. However, the Mechanical Acceptance Testing Technician certification, for instance, can take 20 to 160 hours of training, depending on experience, leading up to the certification exam. Once a certification is earned, continuing education units are required to verify a technician or supervisor remains current in the industry.
\n\u201cA lot of these certifications can help generate more hours, more jobs,\u201d Pico said. \u201cHaving certifications has allowed me opportunities to get more work. They\u2019re door openers. You get in and you can find issues that allow for job opportunities and increased hours. You can turn a 10-hour job into a 100-hour job.\u201d
\nCurriculum and certification is currently being developed for 2016 for Infectious Control Risk Assessment (ICRA), born out of high demand from clients seeking a skilled and certified work force to complete the work.
\n\u201cAs the industry evolves, people are keeping up in order to stay current out there and in peak performance,\u201d Pico said. \u201cWho is going to go after the opportunities and do this work?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In college, students take classes to achieve their degrees, and after graduation often participate in workshops and earn additional degrees and certifications to keep the knowledge of their chosen career fresh and current. It\u2019s should be no different for sheet metal workers. In a post-recession world when contractors can scale back when the work is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"member_types":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n