Hands-on training helps retiring military jump start new careers
By / Cynthia F. Young
Photos courtesy Western Washington JATC
For service men and women nearing the end of their military careers, pondering the next phase of their lives sometimes can be overwhelming.
“It can be daunting to think about leaving the structure of the military and not knowing where to even start,” said Timothy Carter, business manager for Sheet Metal Workers Local 66 in DuPont, Washington. “It’s intimidating to them because they know what they are worth, but how do they communicate that to the civilian world? When we come along, they are like, ‘Wow, this is ready made for me.’”
The pioneering SMART Heroes program in Western Washington has helped more than 150 service men and women learn sheet metal and HVAC skills – crafts they can take with them anywhere across the U.S. and use for a lifetime.
The International Training Institute (ITI), along with SMART and SMACNA, created the SMART Heroes program in August 2017 in collaboration with Local 66, SMACNA Western Washington, the Western Washington JATC, and Helmets to Hardhats.
The sheet metal training is free to enlisted U.S. military men and women on active duty who are leaving the military service within a year and entering civilian life.
Now in its third year, the seven-week program has exceeded expectations. Since the first cohort of eight apprentices graduated in October 2017, more than 150 service men and women have graduated with their first- year apprenticeships in hand. The 13th cohort began in August.
“My girlfriend told me about it and I came directly over,” said Kevin Moore, 36, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and retired after 13 years in the Army. He graduated from one of the program’s earliest cohorts in December 2017 and got a job shortly thereafter.
“I like working with my hands and being outdoors,” he said. “When I was a staff sergeant in the Infantry, we were always outdoors. Going from a high stress, fast-paced physical job to a slower-paced physical job, it worked out well.” He likes the architectural sheet metal side best and plans to make sheet metal his career.
Carl McGirt, 37, a sergeant who worked with helicopters and retired after 12 years in the military, graduated from the program in February 2018 and wants to focus on the HVAC side.
“I was getting close to getting out of the military and read about the program,” he said. “The program is great. I’m a hands-on person. They gave us extra time in the shop, that’s a plus.”
Moore also returns to the JATC to teach transitioning military about military benefits like the GI Bill and VA and vocational rehab that they may not know about.
Participants range in age from their early 20s to their 40s.
“Some are retiring from the military after 20 years and are looking for a second career,” said Jeff Reinhardt, executive administrator of the Western Washington JATC. About 12 to 15 participants have been women, he said, with at least one woman in every cohort and two or three in some.
“The most important thing is the stress it takes off them,” said James Page, administrator of the International Training Institute (ITI), whose instructors train the new apprentices. “They can say, ‘This is what am I going to do coming out of the military. I’m not just getting a job; I’m getting a career.’” The program has a 79 percent placement rate, he noted.
“Many are already leaders where they come from,” Carter said. “Some are actually officers. They are already well- equipped. We just have to show them the craft.”
At the end of seven weeks of concentrated training, participants have earned the equivalent of their first year of sheet metal apprentice training (224 hours). The program limits cohorts to 15 participants. Upon graduation, they can enter any of the 150 SMART apprenticeship programs across the country and be provided direct entry as a second-year sheet metal apprentice.
“We have service men and women who are working in 19 different locals around the country,” Carter said. “About two- thirds of the service men and women stay here. It’s a nice place to be. One-third of them end up going back home.”
The Western Washington JATC’s new DuPont training facility is just a quarter mile away from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in DuPont, Washington. Local 66 and the JATC work with the base’s Career Services Center to reach out to participants.
“The proximity works great for us,” Reinhardt said. “Over 60 percent of participants in the DuPont area are active military and 20 percent are retired military.”
In the classroom and in the shop, participants learn AutoCAD 2D and 3D drawing, OSHA safety precautions, HVAC, service, testing and balancing, welding and architectural metal work. During the last week, participants focus on specific skills they are interested in.
“The more tools you have in your tool bag the more well-rounded and employable you’re going to be,” Reinhardt reflected. “One day you might be doing specialty metal, the next working on architectural metal and the next HVAC, and some contractors do all of that. You want to be able to take every call and keep employed rest of your career.”
Originally aimed toward the Army, graduates have hailed from the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. “Word of mouth is also a big deal,” Reinhardt added. “Somebody comes through the program and then their commander comes through. They build a network.”
Building on Western Washington’s success, SMART has initiated a second SMART Heroes program with Fort Carson Army Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The JATC is interviewing candidates and plans to accept seven participants. Training will begin in October, Page said.
The ITI recently established the nonprofit SMART Heroes Foundation to help provide funding for expanding the program. “We are going through solicitations for donations now, with a goal of half a million dollars,” Page said. “We are working with corporations so we can run two programs and we’d like to have a third.”
In the future, Page would like to see three to five programs across the country. The ITI would also like to open a SMART Heroes program with the Marine Corps base at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and share training space nearby with Helmets to Hardhats.
The success of the SMART Heroes program is the result of a solid team effort, Carter noted. “We’re starting to get nothing but positive comments,” Page agreed.
“It takes a lot of hands. Everybody has a part and works together,” Carter said. “The military career centers, the Locals, the JATC, the ITI, and the contractors. It takes everybody pulling on the rope together.” ▪