The SMART Local 80 Sheet Metal Apprentice Program is a Department of Labor approved training program which is regulated by various state and federal standards affecting the conduct of the training curriculum. The program is structured as a combination of on-the-job training with related classroom instruction. Administration of the Training Center is overseen by appointed Joint Apprenticeship Committee Trustees comprised of Labor and Management representatives.
While in the field the Apprentice is under the supervision of a journey-level craft person in which new workers learn the practical and theoretical aspects of becoming a sheet metal worker, a highly skilled occupation.
In addition to field experience, the Apprentice attends over 24 weeks / 1040 hours of classroom and shop training at the SMACNA Detroit and the Local Union 80 jointly funded Apprentice Training Center facility. After completing the five-year Local Union 80 Apprenticeship Training Program, the worker receives a journey-level status that provides the benefit of nationwide mobility at journey level scale.
While attending training, Building Trades and Architectural Apprentices receive wages for school days and the Industry Apprentice Reimbursement Fund (IARF) provides reimbursement of these wages. Administered by SMACNA Detroit, the IARF is designed to support contractor participation in the Apprentice Program to ensure new workers are sustained while receiving guidance in the field and instruction at the Training Center.
