PROGRAM INFORMATION

Imagine being a real part of the Bay Area’s future. Imagine a job where you can work with your hands, where you can be creative or technical, all without a college degree. Imagine a job where you can experience a work/life balance while leading California and the country in environmental improvements.


Now imagine it’s not just a job, it’s your career — your future.


Imagine being a real part of the Bay Area’s future. Imagine a job where you can work with your hands, where you can be creative or technical, all without a college degree. Imagine a job where you can experience a work/life balance while leading California and the country in environmental improvements.

Imagine being a real part of the Bay Area’s future. Imagine a job where you can work with your hands, where you can be creative or technical, all without a college degree. Imagine a job where you can experience a work/life balance while leading California and the country in environmental improvements.


Now imagine it’s not just a job, it’s your career — your future.


Imagine being a real part of the Bay Area’s future. Imagine a job where you can work with your hands, where you can be creative or technical, all without a college degree. Imagine a job where you can experience a work/life balance while leading California and the country in environmental improvements.

What do union sheet metal workers do?

Union sheet metal workers are:
  • Service technicians for residential and commercial heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems

  • Welders
  • Air balancers who keep buildings comfortable and protect occupants in event of fire or smoke
  • Designers who plan and create complex HVAC systems for everything from office buildings to major sports arenas
  • Fabricators who create and install their own ductwork
  • Artisans who create, design and install aesthetic architectural panels and stainless steel to make beautiful and functional spaces
  • Experts in energy efficiency and environmental design
  • Leaders in the industry who work with state and national government on projects that affect California and the United States

Apprenticeship is a centuries-old method of teaching a trade — mentors instruct apprentices in the classroom, and these apprentices earn a livable wage while also working on job sites. For far too long college has been the only option encouraged as a path to high-paying careers. As an apprentice at Local 104, apprentices will learn skills that set them up for secure jobs and a career — not just a job — for a lifetime. It is possible to have a career, a good job, without a college education.


Local 104 Training Fund offers five-year apprenticeship programs in building trades sheet metal, air conditioning mechanic and testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) technician.


A career as a union sheet metal worker is for everyone. And we mean it. If you’re seeking a career in a growing field that values diversity, you’ve come to the right place. There is no gender pay gap in unionized sheet metal — union jobs for women pay the same as they do for men. In fact, women working in union sheet metal receive higher wages than they may in most traditional blue-collar careers.

From the first day of the paid apprenticeship, students receive health benefits, typically also for a spouse and children, and pension benefits that help with retirement. Once you graduate from the apprenticeship, the sky is the limit. Union sheet metal workers can advance in their careers to become part-time and full-time instructors, job site leaders, business owners, project managers, system designers and planners, union leaders and more.

Interested in our program?