The future is bright for the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 25, Rock Island, which – with an incoming class of 50 apprentices – has hit a record number in its apprenticeship program.
Local 25, located at 4600 46th Ave., currently has 215 individuals now pursuing careers as plumbers, pipefitters and HVACR service technicians, Chuck McKnight, the union’s training coordinator, announced.
The new milestone comes on the heels of Local Union 25’s Signing Day on Saturday, July 15, when more than 50 new apprentices were recognized for officially joining the program. Each Signing Day participant received a Local 25 shirt and hat, along with a stipend from the Labor-Management Cooperation Committee (LMCC) to purchase safety-related work gear.
But, according to Mr. McKnight, the most impressive part about joining the program is that by becoming an apprentice, these students receive the equivalent of a $50,000 scholarship that spans the five-year program.
“Instead of paying for college with no guarantee of a job when they graduate, these men and women will earn a steady paycheck throughout their apprenticeship while learning the skills they need to succeed in their trade,” he added. “As a local, we invest roughly $2 million into training each year, so our apprentices are getting a top-of-the-line education at no cost to them.
“But just like anything in life, you get out of it what you put into it,” Mr. McKnight said, adding that the apprenticeship program “is just the first step on a journey full of career opportunities.”
Beginning in 2019, Local Union 25 has held the Signing Day recognition events to help celebrate the next generation of skilled trades professionals. It is modeled after the signing days held for athletes when they sign letters of intent and commit to a sport.
“There tends to be this perception of the trades as a less-than career choice, and that’s simply not true,” Mr. McKnight said. “Becoming a qualified plumber, pipefitter or HVACR tech sets you up for a job that will always be in demand and high-paying, not to mention the benefits package that put you on the path to a comfortable retirement.”
He added that the skilled trades “are something we should encourage students to pursue who might be looking for an alternative to higher education.”
Local Union 25 is one of 22 local unions affiliated with the Tri-City Building Trades Council, which accepts hundreds of apprentices each year and puts them to work at member contractors in the community. Members of Local 25 provide 70% or all the plumbing, HVAC and pipefitting performed in the Quad Cities.
Through its apprenticeship program, participants must complete a minimum of 8,500 hours of on-the-job training and spend a minimum of 1,300 hours training in the classroom.
For more information on the Local 25 apprenticeship program, visit here.
