St. Paul Local 455 Training and Certification Center is all about Giving Back to the Future

The St. Paul, Minnesota, Pipefitters Local 455 Training and Certification Center, which was just completed this last year, is one of the most updated pipefitting training centers in the UA. The facility has been built on the changing needs of the marketplace which drives the type of training and equipment housed in the facility.

The facility was also built around the apprentice training theory of learning from your journeyman and passing down that information and adding more information for the next generation. Much of the facility echoes this sentiment when you see training models built by apprentices 25 years ago and are now used to show new apprentices the evolution of our industry and the industry’s progression.

 

It’s also about leaving a legacy behind according to Local 455 JATC coordinator, Bob Donatell. “Each class wants to leave something better and more beneficial for the next class. When students are working well past class time on their projects and are kicked out by security patrols who are trying to close up the building at night, it’s good, healthy competition.”

 

Areas of Training

Pipefitter training is so diverse that a facility for each skill is needed. Right now, the school has five separate training areas which include the Mechanical Training Facility, Welding Training/Testing, Computer Technologies, HVAC Lab, and the Direct Digital Controls Lab.

 

Mechanical Training Facility

This area trains students on industrial chillers, high/low pressure steam boilers, hot water heating systems, and building automation. This is one of the areas where students leave their legacy on the high pressure steam piping trainer wall display. At the beginning of each year, the students tear down this wall and rebuild it in preparation for the state high-pressure test adding their own key elements to the end of the previous structure. The high pressure training wall is for students to deal directly with steam boiler feed, chemical feed, and a blow-down system.

 

Welding Training/Testing

The Welding Training/Testing and Certification Facility has 22 welding booths equipped with copper, stick, and tig welding. Several booths are also set up for Oxy-acetylene, Mig-welding, and three are set up with Orbital welding machines.

The welding facility conducts UA welding certifications for the upper mid-west and is done at no charge to the employee or the contractor.

 

Computer Technologies

The computer lab has 21 desktop computers for training on the basics of computer operation to the pre-programming of building automation. Each computer is equipped with an in-desk hidden screen monitor designed specifically for testing.

 

HVAC Lab

The HVAC Lab has several portable training boards. Each portable training cart has controls for the instructor to change settings, making correct diagnosis completely different from one situation to the next.

 

Direct Digital Controls (DDC)

The DDC Lab is designed to train the putting together of HVAC digital components to work in a classroom environment. Each group of students are given a certain task that must function properly and also work in conjunction with the other students’ working models. Each student’s grade depends partially on the other groups’ successful completion of their projects. This training program has been highly effective with peer pressure supplying a lot of motivation.

 

TRAINING ISN’T CHEAP

The St. Paul Pipefitters Local 455 Training and Certification Center wasn’t easy or inexpensive. The remodeling of the 10,000 square foot training center took two years to work through the logistics with Saint Paul College and one year to do the remodel. The cost of the facility’s renovation came to $1.8 million with the JATC having received $650,000 in contributions from contractors, suppliers, and other industry members. The training center is scheduled to be paid off in approximately two months through members’ hourly contribution of $.42 per hour. Coordinator Donatell said, “I never have a hard time asking for donations of dollars or equipment. Whoever I ask--and most have been extremely generous--know that it’s an investment in their industry and are glad to help whenever possible.”