What to Expect
If you're in good physical condition, have mechanical and mathematical
aptitude and like to work with your hands, consider a sheet metal training
program.
What does an apprentice sheet metal worker do all day? In the morning,
you'll probably do your classwork -- maybe some trigonometry, blueprint
and plan reading, computer-aided design and the all-important safety regulations.
After lunch, you'll head to the shop and apply what you learned in the
morning, under careful supervision -- measuring, cutting and welding sheet
metal, and as you advance, installing finished pieces on job sites.
Jason Williams did an apprenticeship at the Sheet Metal Training Center
in Portland, Oregon. He had classes eight hours a day, five days a week. "We
[were] usually in some type of classroom situation for half the day and the
other half in the shop," he says.
"[The workload] all depends on how far you want to push your educational
training. You can get a little or a lot out of it, it's up to you."
How to Prepare
Williams says good preparation is the key to succeeding in an apprenticeship
program. "Be ready for the day, and remember this is not a vacation from
work. This is the time that the union and your employer give you to make
yourself better at what you do."
Keeping up with the training isn't a walk in the park. "The amount of information
that is given in a week is amazing, and to process and retain [it all] sometimes
is hard," he says. He advises students to just study and try their best.