Training Programs
Training Programs
sheet metal worker training Prpgram
Earn While You Learn!
Our Apprenticeship program is designed for 5 years of training. Apprentices attend school periodically through the year, and the remainder of the time they work with journey mechanics to get experience and practice.
Apprentices in our program receive wages and get incremental raises throughout the time they are apprentices, based upon proving knowledge and skill as they progress.
Our program is at almost no cost to an individual who wishes to pursue a career in construction. Apprentices are responsible for providing their own hand tools and some minor material costs throughout their schooling. All other expenses of the training program are borne by the Local.
No College, University or Technical School can offer you what we can!
We want motivated, outgoing, career oriented people in our program. Success in our industry demands excellent hand and communication skills. We want our apprentices to be the leaders of tomorrow. Today’s Apprentice is tomorrow’s Foreperson, Superintendent or Owner. Our people earn the highest wages, with the best benefits package in the industry. You must earn it every day you go to work.
Our expectations of Apprentices are simple: we expect you to go to work every day and work hard. We expect you to treat your work like a career, rather than just a job. We expect you to reach out and engage in your education and not just sit back and wait for it to come to you. If you enjoy working with your hands and are self-motivated, our program may be right for you.
Our training program is affiliated with Community College of Allegheny County.
You will receive credits for most of the classes you take while an apprentice (as indicated in the lists below). You can earn an Associates degree through CCAC if you take just a few additional classes while you are a sheet metal worker apprentice. However, it is not mandatory that you do so.
Our Apprenticeship program lasts 5 years. You will enroll in required classes for the first 4 years. You will attend those classes during 5 weeks of concentrated training during those years. Those weeks will usually occur once about every 7 or 8 weeks. During your final year of Apprenticeship, you will enroll in elective courses. These courses will specialize your training in one or two areas where your talents, interests, and experience lead you. These classes will occur in evenings and on some Saturdays, depending upon what specialty areas you choose.
When the Apprentice reaches the accepted level of skill and education, he or she is promoted to Journeyperson status.
Browse Courses
Sheet Metal
SHM010 - PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL APPRENTICESHIP
Class designed as introduction to apprenticeship. Topics include Trade History, History of Apprenticeship, survey of rules and regulations, successful work habits, interaction with superiors, successful study practices, and communication skills and principles of tradecraft and hardware
SHM100 - SHOP PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE
Class is designed to introduce apprentices to basic trade nomenclature and common practices associated with day-to-day work. Topics will include shop flow, machine names and operation, use of hardware, shop tools and application and care.
SHM101 - BASIC METAL FABRICATION
CCAC accredited class
This is a course in fundamentals of Sheet metal shop operation. Shop safety and shop operation practices will be covered. Correct operation of Sheet metal hand tools, rotary machines, power shear and roll forming machines are included in lab work. Fundamentals of Sheet metal layout will be practiced and applied to fabrication scenarios.
SHM 102 - BASIC MECHANICAL DRAWING
CCAC accredited class
This is a course in drafting principles and applications to the sheet metal industry. Use of drafting instruments, principles of line types and weights, dimensioning techniques, scaling and drawing layout will be covered. Principles will be applied extensively in 3-view orthographic drawings and shop sketches.
SHM201 - INTERMEDIATE METAL FABRICATION
CCAC accredited class
This is a course for the intermediate sheet metal applications student. More challenging methods of triangulation, radial line development and seaming will be covered. Students will further develop those basic skills learned in SHM 101 and apply them to more challenging projects.
SHM202 - ADVANCED MECHANICAL DRAWING
CCAC accredited class
This is a course in advanced mechanical drawing and HVAC applications. Students will get instruction on oblique, isometric and perspective drawings. These techniques will be practiced extensively in creating drawings, which would be used in design and fabrication of HVAC systems.
SHM203 - BLUEPRINT READING
This class is designed to educate students in fundamentals of reading construction documents associated with general construction industry. Topics include: Civil Drawings, Architectural Drawings, Structural Drawings, Mechanical Drawings, Specifications, Submittals and other documents.
HVAC
SHM302 - BASIC HVAC DESIGN PRINCIPLES
CCAC accredited class
This course is synthesis course on design of HVAC systems and creating shop drawings using CAD software. Students will apply skills learned in mechanical drawing and mathematics to create HVAC design drawings, which meet design criteria as spelled out in the SMACNA and ASHRAE design manuals.
Architectural Metals
SHM301 - ARCHITECTURAL METAL FABRICATION
CCAC accredited class
This is a course in advanced application of lay out technique and industry equipment. Students will receive extensive lab work in advanced triangulation and parallel line development technique. Focus of application will be on ornamental and architectural sheet metal products and applications.
SHM303 - ARCHITECTURAL SOLDERING
This course is designed to train students in the fundamentals of architectural soldering. Topics will include: shop practices, principles of flux, soldering tools and equipment, types of solder and application and extensive lab experience to practice technique in various position.
SHM304 - ARCHITECTURAL PRINCIPLES
This class is designed to educate the student in principles of roofing systems and their application. Various concepts of pitch, water flow; hardware application, system components and installation of roofing systems will be discussed.
SHM401 - INDUSTRIAL METAL FABRICATION
CCAC accredited class
This is a course in fabrication techniques associated with ferrous and non-ferrous metals thicker than .0625”. Layout of industrial products and fit up techniques will be discussed and practiced. Principles of industrial air and particle movement systems will be discussed and fabricated.
SHM501 - LAGGING AND SHEETING
This class is designed to provide students with layout, installation techniques and procedures for working in power plants during construction or shutdowns. Students will get extensive lab time to practice concepts covered during the class.
Mathematics
MAT191 - SHEET METAL MATH 1
CCAC accredited class
This is a course in applied mathematics for the Sheet metal industry. Topics covered will be calculation with fractions decimals and percentages, exponents, ratios and simple algebraic equations. Formulas for area and volume will be applied to industry applications in terms of space and industry requirements. Principles of Plane Geometry will be covered in terms of basic theorems and their application to the industry.
MAT192 - SHEET METAL MATH 2
CCAC accredited class
This is a synthesis course in applied mathematics for the Sheet metal industry. Topics covered will be calculation with applied trigonometry. Formulas for right triangle and non – right triangle trigonometry will be applied to industry applications in terms of lay out, field measuring and offset calculation. Principles of Trigonometry will be covered in terms of basic theorems and their application to the industry.
MAT193 - INDUSTRY MATHEMATICS
This class is designed as a journeyman update course for those journeymen who have not had opportunity to take part in the current more advanced mathematics curriculum. The class will cover key topics in the 191 and 192 courses, providing ample lab time and practice with those concepts. Those members, who have taken MAT191 and MAT192, need not take this class.
Welding
WLD291 - GMAW FUNDAMENTALS
CCAC accredited class
This is a course in welding sheet metal 12 gage and lighter. The course will cover welding safety, basic maintenance and operation of cutting torches and GMAW equipment. Students will practice welding fundamentals taught in both flame cutting and multiple position welds on black iron in the GMAW process.
WLD292 - SMAW FUNDAMENTALS
CCAC accredited class
This is course in SMAW applications to light gage carbon steels. Students will learn the fundamentals of the SMAW process and applications for the Sheet metal industry. Instruction will cover inspection and maintenance of equipment, as well as minor repairs. Extensive practice of SMAW welding is included.
WLD293 - GTAW PROCESSES
CCAC accredited class
This course is on application of the GMAW welding process as it applies to the industrial, food service and ornamental metal industries. Students will perform work on both aluminum and stainless steel. Work will focus on applying basic welding skills to applications, which require much more discipline and advanced technique.
WLD294 - INDUSTRIAL METAL APPLICATIONS
CCAC accredited class
This is a course in welding techniques associated with ferrous and non-ferrous metals thicker than .0625”. Use of advanced techniques for both GMAW and SMAW welding processes will be covered. AWS welding procedures and certification testing procedures will be explained and practiced.
WLD500 - GMAW WELDING AND CERTIFICATION
This class is designed to provide all of the GMAW instruction and lab time necessary for a student to certify in various light gage certification tests. Class will cover all of the material included in WLD291 with additional lab time in a more concentrated format. A light gage certification will be administered at the end of the course.
WLD501 - ART OF WELDING STAINLESS STEEL
This class will provide detailed instruction on techniques and practices associated with welding stainless steel. GMAW and GTAW processes will be covered as well as principles associated with shielding gases and various filler metals. Extensive lab practice will be provided to practice the techniques covered during class.
WLD502 - STRUCTURAL WELDING AND CERTIFICATION
Course is designed to prepare students for the D1 structural welding certification test. Class will provide extensive lab practice in structural technique associated with welding materials over .25” in thickness. Certification tests will be given in the overhead and vertical positions at the end of the class.
WLD503 - PIPE WELDING AND CERTIFICATION
Course is designed to prepare students for certification tests on schedule 40 pipes. This class is recommended for those members currently holding a structural certification. The class will cover various root passes and cover pass techniques used to achieve passable welds in industrial piping and power plant applications.
Detailing
DET500 - ADVANCED AUTOCAD
Course is an in depth application class for students wishing to pursue detailing in a shop planning department. Class will focus on those skills necessary to create, alter, import and finish mechanical and architectural drawings. The basic AutoCAD interface will be reviewed as well as creation of blocks, importing of documents and drawing in a 3D environment. This is an in depth class which requires study and a 100 hour time commitment. It is helpful to have a computer at home with the version of AutoCAD being used in class, but not required.
DET501 - BENCHMARK
Course is designed as a follow up to DET500. It will cover the use of Benchmark software (3rd party) as a plug in to AutoCAD. This software is owned by SMWIA, and can only be licensed to an active member. The class will provide ample lab time to become proficient with the software and prepare f or certification and licensing. The certification test is not included in this class. Tests are scheduled separately through the training coordinator. Preference will be given to those test applicants who have completed both DET500 and DET501.
OSHA
OSHA10
This is the required OSHA safety class dedicated to construction industry topics and issues. This will fill the minimum requirement of OSHA instruction by most contractors. Apprentice participants are required to take the OSHA 30 class in order to receive the 30-hour OSHA card within 5 months of completing this course.
OSHA30
This is an additional 20-hour of industry related OSHA instruction which if taken within 5 months of OSHA 10 will fulfill the requirements for an OSHA 30 card. This is a required course for all Local 12 Apprentices.
Service
SER500 - WIRING AND CONTROLS
This course is designed to provide in depth instruction on fundamentals of electricity, wiring, wiring schematics and control theory. Students will be given both classroom lecture presentations as well as extensive lab time to develop wiring skills and solve common electrical problems with HVAC equipment.
SER501 - HEATING
Course is designed to provide students with thorough understanding of heat and heating theory as well as heat load calculation and sizing of air handling units. Lectures will be followed by in extensive lab time in both the service and computer labs. Students will be expected to understand wiring schematics and controls prior to taking this class. SER500 is a pre-requisite to taking this course.
SER502 - COOLING AND REFRIGERATION
Course will provide in-depth instruction in thermodynamics and refrigeration theory as well as practical applications for modern refrigerants. Students will be provided with extensive lab time to test and practice skills associated with solving common problems encountered with both residential and light commercial air conditioning equipment. Students are expected to have a thorough understanding of wiring and controls before taking this class. CFC licensing exam will be given at the end of the course. SER500 is a prerequisite to taking this course.
Testing and Balancing
TAB500 - TESTING AND BALANCING THEORY
This course is designed to provide students with the necessary mathematics reviews and HVAC design principles necessary to be successful as a TAB technician. Topics will include: Duct Design Principles, Airflow in Ducts, Fluid Flow, Psychometrics, Zone Control Theory, Heat Load Calculations, Fan Laws, Pump Laws and Record Keeping. Students will be given lectures and reading material to support those topics covered. Extensive reading assignments, Calculation worksheets, and in class practice will be provided. Students should consider that reading assignments and work to be done at home for this course requires a huge time commitment. Successful completion of this class is a prerequisite for advancing to TAB501 and TAB502.
TAB501 - AIR READINGS AND ADJUSTMENTS
This is an in-depth lab-based class designed to provide instruction on taking all readings necessary to complete balance reports associated with airflow. All available modern tools and equipment will be used to achieve those readings as well as older equipment you may be required to use.
TAB502 - WATER READINGS AND ADJUSTMENTS
This is an in-depth lab-based class designed to provide instruction on taking all readings necessary to compete balance reports associated with water flow. All available modern tools and equipment will be used to achieve those readings as well as older equipment you may be required to use.