The International Training Institute is co-sponsoring Thursday’s welding
competition, which is part of the event’s annual championship competition.
The Skills USA National Leadership and Skills Conference,
going on now through Friday in Kansas City, Mo., has a new sponsor: the
International Training Institute.
The ITI is co-sponsoring Thursday’s welding competition,
which is part of the event’s annual championship competition. The new
partnership will allow the training institute and Skills USA to exchange
information, track program graduates, and heighten awareness of the union HVAC
and sheet metal industry, officials said.
“Skills USA teaches the skills we are looking for, and it’s
not just welding,” said Larry Lawrence, an instructional development specialist
with ITI. “It’s a win-win for both sides. Students come out of Skills USA with
the leadership skills, a working knowledge and their safety training.”
The economic downturn has made recruiting apprentices difficult,
Lawrence said. Working with Skills USA will make that much easier.
“Right now, we don’t know who we’re getting until they
arrive,” he added. “We can get someone from a technical academy who has
hands-on talent but no leadership skills. Or we can get someone who went to
college and can’t apply what they’ve learned. In the Skills USA instance, most
of their programs are industry-driven programs, and they have experts who advise
the students, so we get the best of both worlds.”
The International Training Institute is operated by the Sheet
Metal Workers union and the Sheet Metal and Air-Conditioning Contractors'
National Association.
