Building trades bringing multiple training programs to Washtenaw County this summer
Washtenaw Community College welcomed the Ironworkers International June 14 and will host their annual training convention through Saturday. | photos by Sarah Rigg
WCC has been hosting more than 2,500 annual attendees of the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Instructor Training Program for more than 20 years, and the National Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee for the Electrical Industry will hold a portion of its technical program at WCC in 2010.
“The UA has been coming to Ann Arbor every summer for over 20 years,” said Mary Kerr, president of the Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Last year was the first year we hosted the NJATC, and we’re extremely pleased they decided to return this year.”
The Ironworkers training program is in its 26th year, but this is the first year its been held in Michigan. Previously, the Ironworkers had been training in San Diego.
Bringing the Ironworkers’ summer training program to Washtenaw County was a collaborative effort among the Ann Arbor Convention & Visitors Bureau, Washtenaw Community College, Eastern Michigan University and the Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest.
Kerr said it’s hard to figure out the precise economic impact of the Ironworkers’ visit, since visitors are staying in dorm rooms at EMU instead of in hotels, but she estimated that the nearly 700 Ironworkers in town through Saturday would bring about $1.6 million into the local economy.
Kerr said the AAACVB began working with the Ironworkers in late 2009, and officials from the Ironworkers eventually visited the facilities at Washtenaw Community College and Eastern Michigan University, culminating in the relocation of the training program.
Walter Wise, General Secretary of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Ironworkers, said that the facilities at their previous San Diego location had become too small for the growing training program.
Ironworkers General Organizer Ed Abbott and Ironworkers General Secretary Walter Wise at a barbecue WCC hosted for the group.
He called making the move to Washtenaw County and WCC a “no-brainer” after he and others from Ironworkers’ International saw the facilities available in the area.
He said WCC’s welding facilities were a big draw, but so were the college's classrooms. The number of available classrooms at WCC and the technological capabilities of those classrooms were also a big draw, he said.
Wise said the instructors have been working hard during the day but want to have some fun during the evenings. Tuesday night’s fun was a traditional barbeque dinner for the Ironworkers, with karaoke and mechanical bull riding. Wednesday night, vendors put on a show of the newest equipment.
On Thursday, the Ironworkers will be shuttled to the Ann Arbor Art Fairs, where they will receive special maps pinpointing the metal artists in attendance, Kerr said.
Wise said that now that the convention is here, he knows they made the right choice to relocate. He said he believes that WCC’s facilities will accommodate future growth and said they hope to keep returning for many years.
He added that the transition has gone smoothly. “I can’t say enough about the hospitality we’ve received,” he said. “We’re really happy to be here.”
Kerr said the conventions have an impact beyond the immediate injection of cash into the economy.
“These conventions are great for our area because they show off the wonderful things we have to offer, including state of the art facilities, top notch hospitality and a wonderful, welcoming community,” Kerr said.
Sarah Rigg is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to AnnArbor.com. You can reach her at sarahrigg@yahoo.com.