St. Louis, Mo. (Sept. 8, 2009) - In an effort to remain on pace with advancing technologies in the sheet metal industry and in order to help their contractors, Sheet Metal Workers' Local 36 and the Sheet Metal Workers' Joint Apprenticeship and Training Program have announced the addition Steve Sneed as an Apprentice Instructor and Coordinator of a their newly developed Building Information Modeling (BIM) program.
Aside from assisting other Local 36 instructors in day-to-day training of apprentices, Sneed will also be responsible for the implementation of curriculum for BIM, three-dimensional computer modeling that helps map out interior systems of buildings to facilitate interactions among the HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems.
"Steve brings skills to Local 36 that will allow us to immediately be more efficient on jobsites which have the potential for cost savings for our contractors and their customers," said Dan Andrews, Coordinator of the Local 36 Joint Apprenticeship and Training Program.
Sneed graduated from the Local 36 apprentice program in 1983 and returns to Local 36 after having previously served as the Sheet Metal Project Coordinator for Murphy Co., one of Local 36's largest signatory contractors.
While not a new technology, BIM has recently begun to gain more traction in the building and construction industry as a way for workers in different trades to work more efficiently together on jobsites. BIM management is not exclusive to the HVAC and sheet metal workers on all jobsites, but typically lies in the hands of those workers due to the large amount of space that most HVAC systems require.
In addition to his experience with computer modeling in the sheet metal industry, Sneed has a wealth of knowledge in the programs and software specific to Sheet Metal Workers' Local 36. Sneed has been involved with the Sheet Metal International Training Institute's newly developed BIM program, Construction Coordination Software (CCS), since its inception and holds all current certifications involved with the product.
Sneed is a Certified Detailing Educator, Certified Detailing Coordinator and a Certified Detailing Inspector which will allow Local 36 to teach the new CCS software as well as certify apprentices or journeymen who complete the course study. The ultimate goal is to certify additional Local 36 workers so that they receive their own set of the CCS software that can be used on jobsites to help them and their contractors be more cost efficient.
For more information about Sheet Metal Workers' Local 36, visit the organization's Web site at www.sheetmetal36.org.
About Sheet Metal Workers' Local 36
Serving its members since January 25, 1888, Sheet Metal Workers Local #36 encompasses the greater St. Louis metropolitan area, Eastern Missouri, Columbia, Jefferson City, and Springfield Missouri as well as Arkansas. Representing over 3,200 members and serving over 160 contractors, the organization is committed to providing customer satisfaction on every job through the highest quality, value, integrity, safety and craftsmanship. Local 36 is an affiliate of the Sheet Metal Workers Union International Association.
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