Nearly 2,500 United Association members — including Quad Citians — are meeting in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the annual Instructor Training Program Aug.12-18.
The ITP is a rigorous five-year certification program with a mission of maintaining the highest level of quality craftsmanship within the plumbing and pipefitting industry.
This year, the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 25, 4600 46th Ave., Rock Island, announced the addition of Training Coordinator Chuck McKnight to the ITP’s faculty lineup, along with full-time instructors Dave Kealey and Jake Greer. To have three full-time instructors tapped for the “train the trainer” program is a significant achievement, the union local said in a news release.
“For a mid-sized local, it’s a pretty big deal,” Mr. McKnight said. “Everyone there is a journeyman instructor at their own local, and they’re coming to learn the latest technology and techniques to take back to their own union hall and spruce up their teaching methods. There are no ‘canned’ classes and instructors are given a lot of autonomy. It makes sense; in different parts of the country there are different needs, rules and regulations.”
Mr. McKnight will co-teach the UA Crane Signal Person Certification for Instructors course with Mr. Kealey. Certification in this course will give participants a working knowledge of safe crane operation and allow them to become instructors and exam administrators for their home locals.
“Each trade has their own national training program of some sort, but the UA has one of the most admired programs and invests the most in training each year,” Mr. McKnight said.
It costs roughly $5,000 to send each instructor, with a five-year, 200-hour minimum to get their full instructor certification, he said.
“That’s a lot to invest in an individual, but worth it because it makes us the best at meeting the plumbing, pipefitting and HVACR needs within our communities,” Mr. McKnight added.
McKnight has attended the ITP as an instructor student since 2008, and he said in the news release that he is excited for the opportunity to share his industry expertise with other instructor colleagues.
“It’s a credit to the people who came before me. I only know what I know because other people taught me,” Mr. McKnight said. “That’s what an apprenticeship is, right? You’re passing knowledge on to someone else from someone who gave it to you. We’ve got a lot of skilled and capable people in this local, current and past, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”
To learn more about the Local Union 25 apprenticeship program, visit https://lu25.org/training/.
