Local 104 recently hosted a presentation and tour for the Bay Area LEEDS’ Engineering Summer Academy, which brought area high school students to its Fairfield Bay Area Industry Training Fund location. Operating since 2014, the summer experience is overseen by Bay Area Linking Education and Economic Development Strategies (LEEDS) and Cal State East Bay Engineering faculty. Henry Funcke, outreach/rotation coordinator for Local 104, arranged the tour with the help of training coordinators Pat Pico and Nate Vennarucci, to introduced STEM-minded teens to the sheet metal industry and demonstrate what sheet metal workers do.
Feedback from students and participating teachers was enthusiastic. One participant said, “I didn’t know this kind of career existed! I think I might like it!” April Treece, CEO of the Bay Area LEEDS, which oversees the program, also expressed appreciation for the tour and the partnership.
