The United Association holds their National Apprentice Competition during the Instructor Training Program week at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, MI.   The competition features Plumbers, Pipe Fitters, Sprinkler fitters, Service Technicians and Welders .  So, how does a Local 75 Plumbing Apprentice make it to the National Competition?  It all begins with the Local Contest.

We hold a local contest, inviting all eligible 4th and 5th year apprentices interested in representing Local 75 at the Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association state apprentice contest.  This local contest is generally held on a Saturday morning and consists of a written exam primarily based on general plumbing knowledge, along with a small practical project that is based on pipe joining methods and layout skills, focusing on quality and accuracy of work.  These two scores are averaged together and the apprentice with the highest score will continue on to compete at the WPTA State Contest.

At the State Contest, an apprentice from each WI UA Local and trade discipline competes for the privilege to represent Wisconsin at the district competition. They will take part in a trade specific and general knowledge written exam and a series of practical exams specific to their trade. There will be up to four Plumbers competing at this level, all of them determined to be the best to represent their Local.  After two days of rigorous competition, the winners are announced and begin to prepare for the next level.

District 4 of the United Association is comprised of 11 States: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Hosted at one Local in the District, this contest is like the WI State contest with more rigorous tests and practical projects, more contestants to compete against, and more representatives supporting the contest. Again, these contestants are the best of the best – there are no losers, only those that will represent at the nationals in Ann Arbor, Mi.

The National Competition for the Plumbing category consists of 6 contestants, one from each of the 5 Districts and Canada, gathering to showcase their unique skills and knowledge of their craft. This is an indescribable honor to represent your district and compete alongside your UA brothers and sisters. This competition lasts 4 full days; contestants are evaluated with written tests, practical projects and interviews designed to evaluate character, all the while exposing the contestants to the ITP experience: UA instructors from around the nation coming together to learn methods in teaching aspects of their trades and sharing best practices with each other.