The School to Careers (STC) program at Passaic County Technical Institute (PCTI) is dedicated to meeting the evolving needs of industries, developing meaningful partnerships with businesses and fostering productive career paths for students. As such, STC has established strong relationships with many construction industry Unions through the Youth Transitions to Work (YTTW) program, including a strong collaboration with Sheet Metal Local 25 in Carlstat, NJ. Pat Smith, Apprentice Coordinator, and Sam Figueroa, Training Instructor at SMW Local 25 have been instrumental in working with PCTI’s HVAC, welding and CAD students and recruiting them for the organization’s apprentice training program. As a result of this valuable program, more than ten PCTI alumni are currently employed and active members of SMW Local 25. SMW Local 25 also serves as a member of the school’s advisory board and has provided many shadowing experiences and class presentations for PCTI students over the past two decades.
Most recently, SMW assisted HVAC instructors Mr. LoBue and Mr. Barclay in the creation of sheet metal ductwork for six HVAC systems in PCTI’S HVAC classroom. Apprentices from SMW Local 25 then built the required ductwork and fittings from the PCTI print. The donated ductwork will be installed in the HVAC classroom by PCTI students, giving them valuable real-world experience in installation and fittings.
Thank you to Apprentice Coordinator Pat Smith and Training Instructor Sam Figueroa for continuously supporting our students and preparing them for amazing career paths with SMW Local 25 and beyond
Robert Giglio, STC Coordinator at PCTI; Robert Barclay, HVAC Instructor at PCTI; Sam Figueroa, Sheet Metal Union Local 25; Larry LoBue, HVAC Instructor at PCTI; Pat Smith, Sheet Metal Union Local 25; Mark Cacace, CTE Supervisor of Instruction at PCTI.