From Parking Maintenance temp to irrigation specialist to bus mechanic to HVAC apprentice. From organic blueberry farmer to handyman to maintenance mechanic to HVAC apprentice. From chopping wood to custodian to maintenance mechanic to HVAC apprentice.
Three of the newest F&O apprentices represent the varied ways that strong employees make their way to a trades apprenticeship.
The U-M Skilled Trades Apprenticeship Program gives staff an opportunity to become skilled tradespeople, while also bringing new people into a field where many workers are reaching retirement age. As of July 2022, seven apprentices have been hired and two more will be coming on by September.
Having apprentices work with experienced journeypersons not only provides them with technical knowledge and skills, but also invaluable knowledge of university systems gained by many years of work experience. Each apprentice combines on-the-job training with a rigorous course of study after hours for about 5 years.
“I always told myself I want to keep climbing, keep improving myself,” said Nate Naebeck, an HVAC apprentice at the hospital. “It’s a matter of satisfaction in my career. I was at a level where I couldn’t go much higher as a bus mechanic. This apprenticeship is a big step forward because U-M is educating me and I’m getting a new challenge.”
Nate got a glimpse of his future during an emergency water leak near elevators on his first day. What stood out to him was that nobody panicked. Everyone knew where to be, what tools to use, and came up with a solution. He was surprised how many people came from other areas willing to help. “When they heard it on the radio, they came in ones and twos, ready to be collaborative and proactive,” Nate reflected. “It inspires you and makes you want to learn as much as possible because you know you’ll be faced with something like that in your career.”
Levi Clark, another HVAC apprentice, is also driven by the desire for a new challenge. “I liken it to joining a guild: you’re in on all this knowledge of how to do a thing – in our case, heating and cooling – and it’s incredible. It’s the promise of a great career.”
After working at an organic blueberry farm and as a handyman, Levi joined U-M as a maintenance mechanic on North Campus, where he did tasks like changing belts and cleaning filters. “I was happy I worked afternoons because the trades would let me observe while they worked,” he recalls.
Now knowledge transfer is a fundamental part of his experience as an apprentice and he’s soaking it up. “I want to be knowledgeable in the history and future of heating and cooling, and to be skilled enough to work on it all.”
Levi has a passion for melding old and new, such as by salvaging a motor from a treadmill to fix up an old tractor on his family’s homestead. He looks at his career in HVAC in the same way. “Not only are we moving away from old technologies in new buildings, we’re maintaining legacy buildings,” Levi noted. “I’m excited to learn the new systems that are coming down the pipe, like all-electric with geothermal at Leinweber.”
While working as a custodian, Chad Hall tapped into his natural curiosity. “I like talking to people, so if I had a second to spare, I might ask someone how they’re doing and what they’re doing. One time I met an elevator mechanic and I was curious about what he was doing, so I chatted with him a bit.” Then, as a maintenance mechanic who was among the first responders to an issue, “If I had time, I’d stay after the correct trade was called out to watch and learn.”
As an HVAC apprentice now, Chad finds learning the trade really interesting. “You get to dive into how things work. The cooling process was like magic to me at first. My coworkers have helped me learn it – plus being able to look at the equipment while they explain how it works is key.”
The other current apprentices include one more HVAC mechanic, two elevator mechanics, and one plumbing apprentice.
The skilled trades apprenticeship program is registered with the Department of Labor, which certifies it meets national apprenticeship standards. The Joint Apprenticeship Committee, which consists of elected Skilled Trades representatives and management representatives, manages the program with support from F&O Training and F&O Human Resources.
Written by Katrina Folsom