United Association Veterans in Piping Graduates Fort Campbell Welding Class

The United Association Veterans in Piping Program is proud to announce the graduation of 18 active-duty transitioning military service members from the Fort Campbell UA VIP Welding Program.

Annapolis, United States – February 18, 2019 /PressCable/ —

The United Association (UA) Veterans in Piping (VIP) Program is proud to announce the graduation of 18 active-duty transitioning military service members from the Fort Campbell UA VIP Welding Program.

On Feb. 14, family members and military leadership attended an open house where the members of Fort Campbell Welding Class 11 received their graduation certificates and officially completed the free 18-week training program. Following their successful transition out of the armed forces, the graduates will start their new careers with direct entry and guaranteed employment into the UA’s five-year apprenticeship program in one of over 300 locations.

“The UA VIP program is a great opportunity to get into a union career,” said NavyPetty Officer Second Class James Dhaveloose, a Welding Class 11 graduate. “I earned my UA21 and UA41 welding certifications through the program and look forward to getting home and going to work.”

Dhaveloose, along with his fellow classmates, earned industry leading welding certifications during the course of their UA VIP training, which they will put to work as they begin the process of becoming UA journeymen welders. In addition to the welding certification, class members also earned OSHA safety certifications to help them and those who will be working around them, stay safe on the jobsite.

“I am very proud of how hard these transitioning active-duty military service members worked to get their welding certificates. They came in motivated every day to learn a new aspect of welding and to practice their skills,” said UA VIP Fort Campbell Welding Instructor Michael Smith. “I feel very lucky to have a job that allows me to come in everyday and teach the trade that I am passionate about to such enthusiastic students, who are hungry for the knowledge the UA gave to me.”

Their training will not end upon graduation. As a UA apprentice, they will receive additional hands-on training and classroom education to prepare them for their new career. As UA apprentices gain new skills, improve existing skills and gain experience, they also receive corresponding hourly wage increases from their employer.

For Dhaveloose, becoming a UA member was the right decision.

“I have always been interested in joining the UA,” he said.

Now, he and his 17 fellow UA VIP Fort Campbell Welding Class 11 classmates can begin a new career and start a new life in the civilian world.

The UA VIP Program currently operates nine programs at seven different military installations throughout the country. This program serves active-duty military service members of the U.S. armed forces who are planning to transition from military service. The UA VIP Program is free of charge to participants who receive career training in one of three disciplines: welding, fire sprinkler fitting or HVAC-R.

The UA VIP Program helps decrease the number of military service members that are unemployed after separating from the military and also reduces the manpower shortage in the construction industry. The shortage is a combination of the effects of an aging workforce, increased demand for workers and the lack of skill training for our youth.

To learn more about the UA VIP Program, including participating bases, visit www.uavip.org.

Contact Info:
Name: Mike Hazard
Organization: United Association Veterans In Piping Program
Address: 3 Park Place, Annapolis, Maryland 21401, United States
Phone: +1-844-847-5627
Website: http://www.uavip.org

Source: PressCable

Release ID: 482968