The work of a Mechanical Insulator or Firestopper is completed after years of training, both in the classroom and on the jobsite. This expert level work that is expected throughout the industries is the result of a registered apprenticeship program.
During the second week in November, the United States Department of Labor celebrates National Apprenticeship Week. The week-long celebration highlights the benefits of apprenticeship in preparing a highly-skilled workforce to meet the talent needs of employers across diverse industries. Apprenticeships are the other four-year degree that puts students into successful, good-paying with benefits careers.
Over the last decade, there has been a growing acceptance of apprenticeship programs as being the other four-year college, with the biggest difference being that there is minimal, if any cost to the student for the training.
There has been much interest by the American School Counselors Association in our apprenticeship programs and we are working together in promoting apprenticeship to not only students in Grade School, Middle School and High School, but also to their parents. In the past it was common practice for parents and school faculty to push students toward attending college. In most cases students ended up with major debt, no job and, sometimes, no degree.
Students in Registered Apprenticeship Programs not only acquire no debt, but they are also earning while they are learning. This means that they are getting paid to go to school.
In most cases they not only complete the apprenticeship with a career, but they also earned college credits, as many as 45 in total and in some cases, they earn an Associate’s Degree.
Over the last ten years, Mechanical Insulation is one of the fastest growing fields in construction.
With the environmental concerns and global warming, the world is moving towards renewable energy as well as energy conservation. These new views on the environment puts greater demand on energy conservation, which is exactly what Mechanical Insulation provides.
Mechanical insulation enables equipment to run more efficiently, as well as produce less emissions. Equipment that runs with greater efficiency uses less power to run, which means less energy used.
Because the Mechanical Insulators LMCT contractors use the best, highly qualified students, who have completed a Registered Apprenticeship Program, all of the work is being done properly by well-trained professionals.
John Stahl is the Insulation Industry International Apprentice and Training Fund Administrator. He comes to the position having gone through the apprenticeship program and working with the accreditation of the apprenticeship programs that are used for training Mechanical Insulators and Firestoppers.