I had the privilege of working with the sole coordinator who runs the Local 648 Plumbing and Pipefitting apprenticeship program. The school is a five year program that partners apprentices with companies that provide them with on-the-job training while attending school for ten hours per week. The school is a non-profit and workers admitted to the program do not have to pay tuition, rather they get paid through the partner companies. Students gain knowledge in math, science, rigging, bending, welding, plumbing, and so much more. Once students graduate the program as journeymen, they continue in the work field highly competent, highly paid, and in high demand with no debt incurred from school.

During my externship I experienced all facets of what it takes to run a school. I updated transcripts for apprentices that are accepted college credits. This can be useful in the event that apprentices turned journeyman want to attain a degree that qualifies them for foreman work. We tracked applicants from submission to interview to rank list, which determines who is admitted into the program. We inventoried tools and materials for apprentice use at the school and replaced broken or missing items. There was a lot of physical and digital record keeping that took place as the school transitions to online documentation, which is difficult as they have records from earlier than 2007. Days also consisted of custodial work of cleaning and taking out the trash as well.

Amidst the many minor daily tasks, we tackled some larger projects also. In the first week we unassembled, replaced, and reassembled a swamp cooler for the Union Hall. I spent a lot of hours cutting and beveling pipe to make weld coupons that are used for practice, tests, and certifications. A larger project we took on was building and installing a chemical pot feeder at the Union Hall for the boiler. During this project I got a first hand experience of the skills of a pipe fitter. This project gave me opportunity to understand how take measurements, create an isometric diagram, then prefabricate the design in the shop. At the shop we gathered the materials, threaded pipe, and welded.

The experience and knowledge acquired from my host site was immense. Going back to the classroom I have a vaster understanding of the trades, their importance, and a great alternative to the typical college route. Most trades operate in the same format for apprenticeship, which gives me opportunity to share with students about all trades, not just plumbing and pipefitting. As a math teacher, I found the math skills used in this trade are introduced and expanded upon with my students. In particular there is a lot of adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fraction. The efficacy and efficiency of these skills is crucial to the trade. In light of this I will place greater emphasis on the fractions that are used with a tape measure, halves through thirty-seconds. Overall, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the trades and the great option it would make for a career.