Building Trades Division          MES (Service) Division

Journeyman   Apprentice       Journeyman     Helper

Mechanical Equipment & Service Division Training

Training for the Mechanical Equipment and Service Division is divided into two areas, training for Mechanical Equipment and Service Helpers and training for Mechanical Equipment and Service Journeymen.

Mechanical Equipment and Service (MES) Helpers

The primary goal of the MES Helper Training Program is to provide job related training to the MES Helper population in order to make them more productive and effective in their role of assisting the MES Journeymen to safely and efficiently accomplish the work tasks they are engaged in. Primary areas of concern are: safety skills, proper use and care of tools, good work attitude, organizational skills, math skills, respect for the employer’s equipment and the customer’s property, and responsibility. A secondary, and no less important goal, is to prepare the helper population to eventually assume the role of MES Journeyman through “on the job” experience and a program of related classroom / shop training in technical skills.

In order to allow the individual MES Helper to fit school time into his / her work and home schedule, the MES Helper Training Program is conducted under a voluntary “open enrollment” format. As the MES Helper advances his / her skills through “on the job” experience at work, and by attending related training sessions, the potential for advancement within the Mechanical Equipment and Service Division can be realized if the individual is willing to make the necessary commitment. Advancement to MES Journeyman is dependent upon meeting minimum qualifications in the areas of practical field experience, successful completion of related training courses, and a final examination. The final examination is designed to be a fair, fully comprehensive exam based upon the information presented in all the related training classes for MES Helpers.


Mechanical Equipment and Service Journeymen

Training for Mechanical Equipment and Service Journeymen focuses upon providing the formal classroom instruction which may have been unavailable to some MES Journeymen, depending upon their prior employment conditions. While some MES Journeymen have had the opportunity to attend formal training, some have not, particularly if they entered the union through organizing. Often in the non-union sector an individual will work for years in the trade, learning only to mimic the work of others without understanding the reasoning behind the method. The industry as a whole cannot hope to continue as a professional skilled trade with a workforce operating in ignorance. The successful MES Journeyman must build a solid formal education in materials, technology, techniques, and the plumbing code. There are also areas within the scope of mechanical equipment and service, which may require specific training. Training is available in important areas like basic electricity, trade math, computer skills for service plumbers, oxy-acetylene cutting & demolition, torch operations, fire guard, basic blueprint reading, soldering and brazing, electric controls for mechanical equipment, OSHA safety compliance, and an ISO 9000 recognized professional certification through the STAR exam, which is accepted by the Plumbers Local 1 Examining Board as part of the upgrade requirements for the Building Trades Division.