LIMA, OH (WLIO) - This week marks the nation's ninth annual "National Apprenticeship Week." To celebrate, UA Local 776 in Lima held an open house for local students and the public to attend. Madison Kenjura has the story.
National Apprenticeship Week is a nationwide celebration where industry leaders, labor organizations, and many others come together to showcase the successes and value of registered apprenticeship. The program is aimed at rebuilding the economy, advancing racial and gender equity, and supporting underserved communities. As part of the celebration, UA Local 776 hosted an open house at its facility on November 14th from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
"We're wanting to teach the public about the apprenticeship, what we do here, and why we do it. We're always looking for more applicants, so this is a great way for us to recruit new people and bring new people in," said Brad Wendel, business manager.
At the open house event, attendees could experience virtual welding, witness demonstrations of UA's crafts, tour the mobile trailer, and gain firsthand knowledge beyond the classroom.
"We really don't weld with a pipe in the classroom, so it was kind of cool seeing how that works, and then, usually, these people come to us. So, it's kind of cool going to them rather than them coming and talking to us," Gwennyth Gatchel, senior at Apollo Career Center.
Students also got a chance to learn about the path to an enjoyable and lifelong career through an apprenticeship with UA Local 776. Many students even applied for it at the event.
"I plan on applying because it's... today showed me what I can learn and now I can further improve myself and all the different opportunities that are out there like welding out of state and welding different type and different sort of pipe like different processes like Mig, Tig, and stick," said Kayne Brown, senior at Apollo Career Center.
Open houses like this enable UA Local 776 to continue providing highly skilled and trained plumbers, pipefitters, and service technicians to West Central Ohio businesses and industries. To learn more about apprenticeship or UA Local 776, visit their website at https://www.ualocal776.com/.
