Gaining Exposure: Intern Training Day
After a two-year break, the 2022 Intern Training Day was a tremendous success! Hosted by United Mechanical Inc. (UMI), there were more than 30 high school and college students in attendance representing over 10 contractors. The morning started with a presentation from Kathy de Jong of Bay Area SMACNA on the importance of the sheet metal and HVAC industry. Next, the students learned a little about UMI and the different aspects of working in the industry from UMI President and CEO Leonard Bertolami, Director of Construction Operations Jaime Gonzalez, Executive VP Neal Fox, Director of Engineering Alex Sandoval, Director of Administrative Operations Carna Phillips and past intern turned Project Engineer Nico Holman. Their overall message to students was the importance of working together and communication to ensure effective solutions are executed for the client.
Students were then taken on a tour of UMI’s shop to observe workers and machines in motion, from the plasma cutters and Whisper-Loc, to viewing various finished products.
After lunch, the group was taken on a job walk at an Apple production site to see current work on the HVAC systems. Project Manager Jake Zander provided a detailed tour to the students, including lessons learned and a walk around the roof to see how new and existing HVAC systems were installed and supported. The job walk was a highlight of the day. When asked what else participants liked most about the Intern Training Day, comments included, “seeing the physical equipment helped me to get a scale of a project,” the “connection between the design and actual build” and “the explanation of what SMACNA is and what they stood for.”
Many thanks go to UMI Program Manager Katie Junge for spearheading this successful day with Bay Area SMACNA staff.
Bay Area SMACNA’s Intern Training Day is a wonderful opportunity for Bay Area students to gain exposure to the sheet metal and HVAC industry. In partnership with Sheet Metal Workers Union Local 104, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) enables both large and small contractors to hire one intern per summer for trade exposure in shop and field roles. Interns who are enrolled in non-trade roles, such as engineering and accounting, are also invited to attend. Interns who have been awarded a scholarship from the Bay Area SMACNA Scholarship Trust Fund are eligible for a 50% increase in their final scholarship amount after their internship is complete.