ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A group of nearly 2,000 dedicated United Association instructors gathered for a week in August at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to obtain professional development and complete degrees.

Additionally, top apprentices competed in a weeklong competition to earn the titles of best in HVACR, plumbing, sprinklerfitting, steamfitting, and welding.

In order to get to the international competition in Ann Arbor, participating apprentices had to win contests at their local training centers, and at regional and state competitions.

The event allows companies that may often be competitors to come together for the good of the industries they represent and provide training or help to judge the competition.

The HVACR competition was made possible with the cooperation of team members from the ESCO Institute; Hampden Engineering Corp.; HVAC Excellence; the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI); the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES); and instructors, including Andy Erbach, Mike Mack, and Rich Hoke, from Elgin Community College and Jose Vital from Harper College. The instructors were selected to judge as part of a commitment to create partnerships between the top community colleges, technical colleges, and the United Association training centers.

Congressman John Dingell, D-Michigan, the longest serving member of the House of Representatives, stated during the event, “Thank you to the United Association for training your members to the highest standards so that we can remain competitive on the global level.”

The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices represents approximately 370,000 members in North America and Australia. For more information, visit www.ua.org.

Publication date: 9/8/2014 

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