Steamfitters union apprenticeship center helps workers earn while they learn

A member of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration paid a visit to what the governor’s office called one of the state’s most innovative hubs for trade apprentices to learn on the job.

Department of Labor and Industry Executive Deputy Secretary Bill Trusky was at the Steamfitters Technology Center in Harmony, operated by Steamfitters Local Union No. 449, on Sept. 3.

Steamfitters Local 449, associated with the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Pipefitting and Plumbing Industry of the United States and Canada, represents nearly 1,500 steamfitters in 15 western Pennsylvania counties. 

The hub prepares workers for “jobs with union benefits and a middle-class lifestyle,” according to a press release from Shapiro’s office. It’s made possible through support from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s Apprenticeship and Training Office and the Allegheny County Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee of Heating, Piping and Air Conditioning, though it’s located in Butler County.

Dozens of workers are being trained in registered apprenticeships at the facility, according to Shapiro’s office. The apprenticeships are offered free of charge, besides a $30 application fee. According to Steamfitters Local 449’s website, those accepted into the apprenticeship program must first complete several weeks of unpaid training. After the training, they will be placed with a local contractor, allowing them to work for pay while still receiving one day of training every other week for the next five years.

“With the significant increase in funding and support for programs like Steamfitters Local Union No. 449, we are paving the way for a stronger, more skilled workforce,” Trusky said in the release. “Our continued investment in these vital training programs ensures that hardworking individuals across the state have the opportunity to build successful careers and achieve economic stability without the burden of debt.”

The 2024-2025 Pennsylvania state budget includes a $30 million increase for vocational-technical as well as career and technical education programming and equipment, according to Shapiro’s office.

“Since taking office in January 2023, Governor Shapiro has been focused on creating real opportunity for hardworking Pennsylvania workers to obtain good-paying jobs with an emphasis on skills-based hiring,” the governor’s office said. “These investments in career and technical training and vo-tech education, registered apprenticeship programs, and on-the-job training build on the critical investments made last year.”

Shapiro, working with a bipartisan group of state legislators, has upped workforce development funding by $61 million since taking office in January 2023.

The Shapiro administration awarded $90,000 in grant funds to Steamfitters Local 449 in 2023 to improve Allegheny County registered apprenticeship programs.

In addition to those programs, Steamfitters Local 449 also offers after-school classes to students at four local high schools to provide education on careers in plumbing and pipefitting and free welding classes for nonunion members.

Learn more about the apprenticeship application at https://ua449.com/apprentice-application/.