The International Training Institute (ITI), the education arm of the unionized sheet metal, air conditioning, and welding industry, has been named a recipient of the DeWalt Grow the Trades Grant. The grant will support the ITI’s SMART Heroes program, which helps active-duty military personnel and recent veterans transition into civilian careers in the sheet metal industry.
The DeWalt Grow the Trades Grants aim to address the skilled labor gap in the construction industry, where an estimated 500,000 jobs remain unfilled. As part of a $30 million commitment over five years, the program awards funding and tool donations to nonprofit organizations that provide trades training. The ITI was selected as one of 166 organizations recognized for their efforts to make trades training more accessible.
The grant will be used to support the SMART Heroes program, which was established by the ITI, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) workers, and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA). The program provides free sheet metal industry training to active-duty military personnel and recent veterans, helping them acquire a new skill set that can lead to a civilian career upon discharge.
Participants in the SMART Heroes program complete a concentrated seven-week course, equivalent to first-year sheet metal apprentice training. Upon graduation, they may enter any of the 150 SMART apprenticeship programs in the United States and receive direct entry and advanced placement as a second-year sheet metal apprentice, including a high probability of obtaining second-year apprentice wages and benefits.
“We were able to get a lot accomplished before, but now that we have this grant, it’s a new dynamic,” said Jeff Bradley, program administrator for the Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT), which also supports the SMART Heroes program. “Working with the staff here, in person, when we collaborate the ideas and opportunities can just flow.”
The first SMART Heroes program was launched in Washington in 2017, with a second location opening in Colorado Springs in 2019. The DeWalt Grow the Trades Grant will help fund instructors, materials, and facility leases for these programs.
“DeWalt is immensely proud to support the ITI as it works to skill and reskill the tradespeople of tomorrow, moving us closer to our shared goal of closing the trade skills gap,” said Frank Mannarino, president and general manager of DeWalt. “Funding educational programs and nonprofits like the ITI connects more people to training, resources and opportunities that will lead to successful careers in the trades.”
The ITI, jointly sponsored by SMART and SMACNA, supports apprenticeship and advanced career training for union workers in the sheet metal industry throughout the United States and Canada. The organization develops and provides standardized sheet metal curriculum and training materials to 150 facilities across North America.
DeWalt, a Stanley Black & Decker brand, is a leading provider of jobsite and landscaping solutions. The company is committed to providing innovative tools, outdoor equipment, and technologies for the trades. Stanley Black & Decker, founded in 1843, is a worldwide leader in tools and outdoor, operating manufacturing facilities globally. The company’s portfolio of trusted brands includes DeWalt, Craftsman, Stanley Black & Decker, and Cub Cadet.
For more information about the ITI and its training programs, visit www.sheetmetal-iti.org. To learn more about the DeWalt Grow the Trades Grant and its recipients, visit DeWalt Grow the Trades.
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