Each high school student touring the Western Washington Sheet Metal training center on July 13 left with a miniature Jeep they helped fabricate themselves, a newfound appreciation for the rewards of a career in the trades, information on apprenticeships and a big smile.
The Heavy Metal Summer Experience (HMSE), a six-week program introducing young people ages 14 to 18 to trade opportunities in mechanical construction, was developed by construction professionals in Seattle and California’s Bay Area. The first HMSE session, sponsored by Western Allied Mechanical, began June 22 in Menlo Park, California, and featured a tour of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) workers Local 104 training center. A session in Western Washington, sponsored by Hermanson Company, began June 29 in Kent, Washington, and brought participating students out to SMART Local 66 Western Washington Sheet Metal’s training center in DuPont, Washington.