|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
WHEELING, W.Va. – Local apprentices will soon have the chance to train for good jobs in Wheeling in a state-of-the art setting.
On Wednesday, Ironworkers Local 549 announced the $3.5 million expansion of its Center Wheeling location at 2350 Main Street where workers are trained.
The project is funded in part by a $1.75 million construction grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and will add 7,840 square feet of additional space for the training center and larger meeting rooms for members and retirees. Ironworkers Local 549 is providing matching funds of $1.75 million.
ARC’s Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Power Initiative (POWER) directs federal resources to economic diversification and revitalization projects in Appalachian communities affected by the downturn of the coal industry.
The expansion of the training center will allow the union’s Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC) to train up to 90 apprentices per year, which will be 30 per year in the three-year program.
The apprenticeship provides a great opportunity to work in a field that is in demand and pays a good wage, according to Stephen Sipos, Apprenticeship Coordinator. Sipos says it takes three years to complete the apprenticeship program.
Apprenticeship students start of at $21.77 per hour, which is 60 percent of what a journeyman earns, he said. Students receive a 5 percent raise every six months and graduate from the program earning more than $30 per hour with a full healthcare and benefits package, Sipos explained. Sipos said qualifications for the program include a valid drivers’ license and high school diploma or equivalent.
For more information on becoming a member of Ironworkers Local 549, visit their website at iwlocal549.org or call 304-232-2660
Ironworkers Local 549 Business Agent Kenny Smigle thanked numerous politicians, businesses and partners who supported the project including Senator Shelley Moore-Capito (R-WV), Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), Ohio Means Jobs and the Belmont and Harrison Career Centers.
Smigle said the program and union are important parts of the community.
We look forward to being an important part of the tri-state area for years to come.
Ironworkers Local 549 Business Agent Kenny Smigle
ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin said in a written statement that “ARC’s POWER initiative supports coal-impacted communities’ preparation for the next phase of Appalachia’s economy while ensuring that residents have a say in the course of their own futures.”
The Wheeling Ironworkers Local 549 has been a part of the tri-state community since 1937 and has serves Northern Panhandle and other West Virginia counties. They also serve Greene and Washington Counties in Pennsylvania. In Ohio, they serve Belmont, Guernsey, Harrison, Jefferson, Monroe and Muskingum Counties.
Local 549 has completed these recent projects:
- Wheeling Suspension Bridge
- Cabela’s
- First Energy/Fort Martin Power Station
- Hannibal Power Plant
Upcoming projects include:
- WVU Cancer Center
- Form Energy Phase II Battery Plant in Weirton
- Industrial Park Access Bridge in Morgantown
- WVU Eye Institute in Morgantown
- TCL Chemicals at Convestro in New Martinsville
