Three Local Union 25 Training Center Staff to Teach During National Instructor Training Program
From August 12-18, nearly 2,500 United Association members from throughout the U.S. and Canada will converge in Ann Arbor, Mich., for the annual Instructor Training Program (ITP). The ITP is a rigorous 5-year certification program with a mission of maintaining the highest level of quality craftsmanship within the plumbing and pipefitting industry.
This year, the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 25 is proud to announce the addition of Training Coordinator Chuck McKnight to the ITP’s faculty lineup, along with full-time instructors Dave Kealey and Jake Greer. To have three full-time instructors tapped for the “train the trainer” program is a significant achievement.
“For a mid-sized local, it’s a pretty big deal,” McKnight said. “Everyone there is a journeyman instructor at their own local, and they’re coming to learn the latest technology and techniques to take back to their own union hall and spruce up their teaching methods. There are no ‘canned’ classes and instructors are given a lot of autonomy. It makes sense — in different parts of the country there are different needs, rules and regulations.”
McKnight is set to co-teach the UA Crane Signal Person Certification for Instructors course with Kealey. Certification in this course will give participants a working knowledge of safe crane operation and allow them to become instructors and exam administrators for their home locals.
“Each trade has their own national training program of some sort, but the UA has one of the most admired programs and invests the most in training each year,” McKnight said, noting it costs roughly $5,000 to send each instructor, with a 5-year, 200-hour minimum to get their full instructor certification. “That’s a lot to invest in an individual, but worth it because it makes us the best at meeting the plumbing, pipefitting and HVACR needs within our communities.”
McKnight has attended the ITP as an instructor student since 2008, and he’s excited for the opportunity to share his industry expertise with other instructor colleagues next week.
“It’s a credit to the people who came before me. I only know what I know because other people taught me,” McKnight said. “That’s what an apprenticeship is, right? You’re passing knowledge on to someone else from someone who gave it to you. We’ve got a lot of skilled and capable people in this local —current and past — and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”