A dedicated team of contractor volunteers arrived two days before the competitions to assemble the competitor test benches, distribute the materials and supplies and set up the testing areas.

The analysis confirmed certain categories of BIL, Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS investments face an acute need for targeted hiring practices, pre-apprenticeship programs and other tools.

According to Zippia, 94.4% of sheet metal fabricators are men, while 5.6% are women.

CobbWorks Inc., a not-for-profit that offers workforce development programs, and the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors of Georgia were recently given the Cinda Herndon-King Award for their PowerUp! Program.

Kline, a second-generation sheet metal worker, graduated the sheet metal apprenticeship in 2020 and worked to gain the knowledge and skills to be hired as a part-time instructor at her alma mater, Sheet Metal Workers Local 33.

Both are first-generation Americans as well as first-generation sheet metal workers, and have developed a love for the craft.

Apprenticeships offer a mix of education and hands-on training — all while earning a salary.

The PHCC-National Association awarded its 2022 HVAC Instructor of the Year award to John McCuen Jr., a plumbing and HVAC instructor for the Philadelphia Suburban PHCC registered apprentice program.