Students Get Their Hands On Future Jobs At Plumber's Open House

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Hands-on welding and a controlled fire exercise were among the highlights of Tuesday's UA Mechanical Trades' Open House for students in the Community Service Agency's GSA Building Futures Project. As part of their pre-apprenticeship curriculum, the students visited the Plumbers and Steamfitter's training campus in Landover, which includes a Plumbers & Gasfitters' School, the Steamfitters' School and a welding building. Guided by Gary Murdoch, Steamfitters Local 602 Assistant Apprenticeship Director, the students started out at "Bruce's Shop," a maze of pipes outside the Steamfitter's School Building run by Welding Instructor Bruce Dantley (at left), where all new apprentices begin their training. After a tour of the two schools and a cookout lunch, the students learned more about piping, got a chance to do some hands-on welding, saw sprinkler system safety demonstrated in a close-up controlled fire exercise and got a look at how new environmental green technologies will shape the future of the mechanical trades.  "I don't want to miss the Plumber's School deadline in July" said enthusiastic student Paul McDuffey after the tour, "Thank you for giving us this opportunity!" The GSA-funded Building Futures program is run by the Metro Washington Council's Community Services Agency in partnership with Covenant House Washington and Wider Opportunities for Women. - report/photo by Silvia Casaro Dietert