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Educational Requirements | Outlook | Salary

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Architecture and Construction



Job Description: An apprenticeship is a formal method of training in a skilled occupation or trade. For general information about apprenticeships, training, and partnerships with business, visit the United States Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship Training, Employer and Labor Services (OATELS) website. OATELS is the Federal program that administers the National Registered Apprenticeship System (NRAS). It is a consolidation of the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training and the new responsibilities of the employer and labor liaison dedicated to building a workforce for the 21st century.

Apprentice sheet metal workers are paid trainees who learn to make and install air ducts and other objects from sheet metal in residential, commercial, and industrial settings.

Duties: Working under the supervision of an experienced sheet metal worker, apprentices may perform some or all of the following tasks:

• Cut and form metal
• Join parts with rivets or solder
• Use tools properly
• Read blueprints
• Test various metals
• Erect scaffolding
• Make and install ducts that are used in ventilating, air conditioning, and heating systems
• Make and install a wide variety of other products made from metal sheets -- such as roofing and siding, commercial stainless steel kitchen equipment, partitions, sheet metal shelves, store fronts, metal framework for neon signs, and chutes used for materials movement.

Working Conditions: Sheet metal work is performed both indoors and outdoors, and requires frequent lifting and/or carrying of objects weighing no more than 25 pounds. Workers are often required to stand on scaffolding and ladders to perform the job.

Educational Requirements: Applicants for an apprenticeship in this field must complete high school or the equivalent (G.E.D.) and pass an aptitude test to qualify for the program. An applicant must be between the ages of 18 and 25, and be a member of a labor union. Experience gained through vocational courses, military training, or work experience may be used to obtain advanced placement in the apprenticeship program. For related information and recommended courses to prepare for this occupation, Tennessee high school students may visit the Trade and Industrial Education Standards, Competency Profiles, and Resource Links online. For additional information on education and training in this field, visit the Sheet Metal Workers International Association online.

Outlook: The estimated number of sheet metal workers in Tennessee is 4,630. It is projected that there will be an increase of 22 percent in this occupation through the year 2012 with 210 job openings annually. For additional information on this occupation, visit the nationally recognized Occupational Outlook Handbook online.

Salary

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee Department of Labor website
• TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development website
• Bureau of Economic Analysis website

For an explanation of salary data please visit acinet.org

Last updated on: January 23, 2008