Piping Industry News

The Piping Industry Training Center’s Accelerated Welding Program is helping to fill the region’s need for trained, skilled welders.

Each year the program allows upwards of 12 selected apprentices the opportunity to reach journeymen status in four years instead of five years.

The Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee selects apprentices to participate in the Accelerated Welding Program. Those who accept the invitation have up to 18 weeks to complete this free program.

The Northwest Ohio Piping Industry released a new video in March showing its commitment to creating a diverse membership.

Northwest Ohio contains a diverse population, as people from varying backgrounds – including race, gender and ethnicity – call the area home. The Piping Industry proudly conducts outreach programs to the area’s minority populations, helping educate them on career opportunities within the piping trades.

Through strengthening relationships with the area’s minority organizations and the Toledo Public Schools, the Piping Industry is looking to further diversify its membership by actively recruiting minority candidates into their apprenticeship programs.

High school students should give equal consideration to post high school educational options such as building trade apprenticeships, college and other vocational programs.

A January Forbes.com article discusses how bachelor’s degrees are failing millions of college graduates throughout the nation.

Armed with a four-year college degree, college graduates are learning the opportunities to use their education are simply not available. The unemployment rate for college graduates grew by 1.5 percent in 2014, while the unemployment rate for those in their 20s, with at least a bachelor’s degree, climbed to 12.4 percent.

On Wednesday August 19th UA Local 50 hosted all of its apprentices to the union hall for this year’s apprenticeship orientation.

Attendance at the orientation was great as apprentices of each year— from those just beginning their apprenticeships to fifth years on the brink of becoming journeymen—gathered at the UA Local 50 union hall to hear about the expectations leadership has for this year while receiving their annual class schedules.

Business Manager Scott Lopez and Training Director Chris Weaver set expectations for the year while encouraging the apprentices to get ready for a busy, diverse workload.

As highlighted in the Piping Industry's latest video project, dedicated apprentices of the plumbing, pipefitting, HVAC-R and welding trades - as well as our state-of-the-art Piping Industry Training Center - are second to none. 

In late April, hundreds of guests, including elected officials, educators, area contractors, industry professionals, and media members filled our Training Center during an Industry Day open house. The event was held in conjunction with the 2015 UA Ohio State Apprenticeship Competition, which featured the best of the best apprentices statewide as they showed off the skills they have learned both in the classroom and on the job.

Two apprentices from the Piping Industry earned the title of State Champion at the 2015 UA State Apprenticeship Competition held at our very own Piping Industry Training Center last week. 

The competition, which ran April 21-23, featured the best of the best apprentices from across the state of Ohio in the plumbing, pipefitting, welding, HVAC-R and sprinklerfitting construction trades. 

Defending their home turf and earning top honors in the plumbing and HVAC-R disciplines, respectively, were Don Andrysek and Scott White. The two Piping Industry apprentices showed they have some of the best skills and knowledge in the state. 

The Piping Industry Training Center was filled with hundreds of guests on April 22 as the Piping Industry hosted an Industry Day open house to coincide with the 2015 UA State Apprenticeship Competition.

The event showcased the Piping Industry’s renowned apprenticeship program and state-of-the-art, 45,000-square-foot training facility, while displaying the talents of the next generation of plumbers, pipefitters, welders and HVAC service mechanics. In addition to tours of the PITC and the ongoing apprenticeship competition, the day also included vendor exhibitions, mobile trailer demonstrations, and lunch. 

On behalf of the State of Ohio, State Senator Randy Gardner (R-2^nd) celebrated the amazing accomplishments of three Piping Industry apprentices who each took a first place honor – in different categories – at this year’s Ohio State Pipe Trades Apprenticeship Contest.

Senator Gardner presented proclamations to the three members of the United Association of Plumbers, Steamfitters and Service Mechanics Local 50 during a ceremony on Sept. 16.