Pipe trades apprentices to compete at Latrobe Industrial Park
Beginning tradespeople from across the state will converge in the Latrobe area this week for the annual Pennsylvania Pipe Trades Apprentice Contest.
Hosted by the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 354, the contest will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday , at 2022 Main Drive, Building D-13 at the Latrobe Industrial Park, Unity.
Each of 10 United Association locals in the state will send its best apprentices to compete for top place in five trade categories including: plumbing; pipefitting; welding; fire protection sprinkler fitting; and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
“All the apprentices get together from the top of their class,” said Local 354 training coordinator Chad Morrison. Covering 14 counties in Western Pennsylvania, Local 354 has about 100 apprentices on its rolls.
The contestants will be judged on completing assembly or trouble-shooting projects that will showcase the skills they’ve developed in their chosen trades, Morrison explained. The winners will advance to a regional contest, where entrants will be determined for a culminating national competition, to be held in August in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Skilled laborers are in demand now, and those learning their trade through Local 354 are no exception.
Tim Custer, business manager for Local 354, estimated there is a demand for about 3,000 skilled plumbers, pipefitters and welders in the areas surrounding Pittsburgh and Greensburg, including at the ethane “cracker” plant under construction in Beaver County.
“The manpower from just the Western Pennsylvania labor pool is probably around 1,000 available to work those jobs,” Custer said.
The union reaches out to local high schools in the hope of attracting more young people to enter its five-year apprenticeship program, he said.
“We can offer an opportunity for these kids to start earning a wage along with benefits,” Custer said. “We train them in the evenings and weekends, and they can come out making $60,000 to $80,000 with no debt.”
He noted beginning wages in the pipe trades in Westmoreland County average about $14 per hour.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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