Members of the military preparing to leave the service often have difficulties transitioning to civilian jobs — they suffer a loss of community, have trouble relating to civilians who don’t understand military life and struggle with how to find a career, not just a job. Five years ago, the SMART Heroes program started giving veterans and active-duty military on the brink of transition to the civilian world in Western Washington a shot at a career as a sheet metal worker. To date, more than 400 veterans have graduated to become journey-level sheet metal workers.
The program — created by the International Training Institute (ITI), the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) workers and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA) — presents participants with a concentrated seven-week course, equivalent to their first-year sheet metal apprentice training (224 hours). Upon discharge from service, program graduates may choose to enter any of the 147 SMART apprenticeship programs in the United States and are provided direct entry and advanced placement as a second-year sheet metal apprentices, which includes a living wage, health and pension benefits and a distinct career pathway.