VIP Treatment
Wisconsin facility graduates first class of Veterans in Piping.
By Tyler Smith 

In the October 2010 issue, G.I. Jobs featured the Veterans in Piping (VIP) program, an accelerated 18-week apprenticeship that trains veterans to be welders in the plumbing and pipefitting industry.

Until last fall, the free training program was offered at two locations: Lacey, Wash., and Camp Pendleton, Calif. A third facility, which opened late last year in Wisconsin, graduated its first class in June. The 14 men and women who successfully completed the program were awarded certification as second-year apprentices.

They also were awarded jobs. The VIP program guarantees a job for those who complete the training if they are willing to relocate. Apprentices earn $31,200 to $41,600, and once they complete the five-year apprenticeship they will earn between $45,760 and $72,800 as a journeyman welder.

Of the 14 graduates, 10 will remain in Wisconsin, two will move to Minneapolis, one will go to South Dakota and one will relocate to North Dakota.

“They are an outstanding group of people who are dedicated and talented, and we are proud they chose to join our trade,” said William Hite, general president of the United Association of Plumbers, Pipe Fitters, Welders, and HVACR Technicians. Hite started the program in 2008 and earlier this year received the Military Officers Association of America’s Distinguished Service Award.

Paul Anderson, an ex-Marine who completed four tours of duty in Iraq and now serves in the National Guard, said he was looking for a new career – not just a job – when he transitioned from the military. After receiving an e-mail about the VIP program, Anderson said to himself,

“I could go somewhere with this career.” He is now working for Mechanical Technologies Inc. as an apprentice with Local 400 in Green Bay.

The Wisconsin initiative is a partnership between the United Association, the Wisconsin Army National Guard and the Department of Workforce Development. The United Association provides the training for free. It includes two weeks of re-entry training.