International Training Institute for Sheet Metal, Air Conditioning Awarded Nearly $5 Million for Green Job Training

Jan. 28, 2010
The International Training Institute (ITI) for the sheet metal and air-conditioning industries has been awarded nearly $5 million in Energy Training Partnership grants through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) to train approximately 1,200 unemployed or underemployed sheet metal workers for energy-efficient building construction, retrofitting and manufacturing jobs.

The International Training Institute (ITI) for the sheet metal and air-conditioning industries has been awarded nearly $5 million in Energy Training Partnership grants through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) to train approximately 1,200 unemployed or underemployed sheet metal workers for energy-efficient building construction, retrofitting and manufacturing jobs.

“ITI is plowing new ground with this grant and the advanced training it will provide,” said James Shoulders, executive administrator for ITI. “This is a great opportunity for our industry to lead the wave of energy efficiency within building construction and retrofit.”

While the grant will benefit the areas of Michigan (Detroit, Livonia, Ann Arbor, Warren, Wayne); Ohio (Cleveland, Toledo, Akron, Youngstown); Missouri (St. Louis); Illinois (E. St. Louis); California (Los Angeles, Anaheim, Long Beach, Riverside, San Bernardino); New Mexico (Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces); and Texas (El Paso, Lubbock), the training program is available to all sheet metal workers.

The training will be administered in a series of customized training courses that address the skills gap of the targeted workforce. Training will feature three areas of instruction: advanced building information modeling (BIM); HVAC testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB); and phenolic installation.

Partners in the effort include: Sheet Metal Workers International Association (SMWIA) and local affiliate organizations, Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association (SMACNA) and local affiliate organizations, Joint Apprenticeship Training Center (JATC), and 13 Workforce Investment Boards and One Stop Career Centers.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Energy Training Partnership grant program will help train workers to enter the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries, as well as green occupations within other industries. The grants invest in partnerships of diverse stakeholders including labor organizations, public or private employers in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries and the workforce system.

Bringing together the workforce expertise of these groups will allow grantees to develop programs that are responsive to the needs of both workers and employers, and that provide participants with the support needed to successfully complete training. The Energy Training Partnership grants represent $100 million of the $500 million available nationally in Green Jobs training grant funding made available by the Recovery Act.

For more information on ITI, visit www.sheetmetal-iti.org.