Responding to the construction industry's labor shortage and training new laborers is the responsibility of every segment of the industry. As a manufacturer, Citadel Architectural Products strives to assist contractors, associations and groups that focus on continuing education to ensure workers are knowledgeable about metal-related construction practices. This is why Citadel supports the International Training Institute (ITI) with Metal Composite Material (MCM) donations for ITI educational courses. ITI is a joint labor-management trust fund between the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation workers (SMART) and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA) that develops training curriculum, educational support and instructor training for the sheet metal and air conditioning industry.
The latest MCM donation was for the Train the Trainer class called “Building Enclosure–Metal Composite Material Wall Panel System” that features Citadel’s Envelope 2000® MCM with both the RainScreen (RS) and Rout & Return (RR) attachment systems. This class took place in April at the Sheet Metal Workers Local Union #19 Training Center in Philadelphia. Attendance for the course included 16 instructors from 11 states and two Canadian Providences. Over the last three years, four classes have been held in a variety of states, providing training to 68 instructors from 56 Sheet Metal Worker Unions that arrived from 43 states and three Canadian Providences. Citadel provides the materials for free along with corresponding literature.
"Proper installation is not only key to the aesthetic of the MCM system but also to its performance and function," says Sean Walker, marketing manager for Citadel. "By supporting educational programs like those offered by ITI, we can contribute to the overall quality of the projects these attendees will be working on in the future."
The Train the Trainer classes were created to ensure that instructors at accredited training centers provide the most up-to-date instruction to Apprentice and Journeyperson members. They cover a variety of architectural sheet metal topics at various locations around the United States. This MCM class is designed as a five-day program that provides both classroom and shop/lab training. Students receive training about:
- Envelope 2000 RR and RS system details and design
- How to measure and create system layouts
- Best practices for the fabrication and installation of RR and RS systems
- Means, methods and techniques for the fabrication and installation of wall panel systems
- How to keep a system level, plumb and square
- Weather-resistant barrier materials
- Installation tolerances
- System performance and appearance
The next Train the Trainer MCM class is scheduled for April 2020.
“To meet the training needs of a dynamic and everchanging building construction industry, Train the Trainer courses like ITI’s ‘Building Enclosure–Metal Composite Material Wall Panel System’ featuring Citadel’s Envelope 2000 MCM provide our training instructors with the practical, technical, critical and instructional skills to deliver this type of training to our members,” says ITI Field Staff-Architectural Specialist Dan McCallum.
To discover more about Citadel Architectural Products and its offerings, or to link directly to Citadel’s social media pages, visit www.citadelap.com.
