Local Union Educates Current Students at BOCES Prepares New Plumbing Program

ALBANY/SCHOHARIE – Approximately 50 high school students hope to be flush with knowledge of the plumbing industry courtesy of the experts from UA Local 7, Plumbers and Steamfitters union.

Heavy Equipment Repair and Operation students on the Capital Region BOCES Career & Technical Education Center (CTE) – Schoharie Campus learned this week the basics of plumbing, including PVC draining/vent fittings, basic plumbing code, plumbing math, jobsite safety and how to install a sink.

The lesson is a precursor for a brand new, Plumbing Trades program that will launch this fall at the CTE Extension Center that is being constructed near the Albany CTE Campus.

The one-year program will be a comprehensive, hands-on program designed to prepare students for entry-level positions in the plumbing industry. 

Students will learn essential skills, including safety protocols, plumbing math and blueprint reading, while working with various piping materials such as plastic and copper. 

The course covers key plumbing systems such as drain, waste, and vent (DWV) systems, water distribution, and much more. 

As to this week’s lesson for Heavy Equipment students, union officials said they hope it wets their interest in the plumbing trades.

“Plumbing is a career that can’t be replaced by AI,” he said. “Getting into the union sets you up with a good pay scale and great benefits,”  said Fellow union member Scott Nadeau concurred.

Capital Region BOCES Managing Program Coordinator-Business & Community Partnerships Nancy Liddle said the plumbing union will bring the training to other programs on the Albany and Schoharie campuses later this school year.

“The hands-on, real-life experience ignited student engagement,” she said.

For more information on career and technical education programs offered by BOCES, visit the website at https://www.capitalregionboces.org/career-technical-education/courses-programs/.