United Brotherhood of Carpenters Tour

During the International Builders Show in Las Vegas, US Building Products was fortunate enough to visit the United Brotherhood of Carpenters National Headquarters. The UBC has a membership of just over 500,000 carpenters around the country, with local and regional training centers to teach members the latest in technology, project management, and safety.

The UBC in Las Vegas is where trainers from around US come to get trained, then they go back to their local centers to teach carpenters, apprentices, and general contractors alike.

Each member of the UBC has a membership card with a QR code that, if scanned, brings up a website showing the various certifications and trainings that the carpenters has received to date.

The UBC offers a variety of specialized training seminars, including one tailored to the design and construction of a storefront.

Other specialized training includes hospital and medical center programs. Carpenters learn how to seal off and quarantine different parts of a hospital if there was ever some type of emergency. In the Las Vegas facility, they have constructed a mock emergency room complete with nurse’s station, front desk, patient rooms, and clean room.

Another specialized program is underwater welding and pile driver construction. The UBC has their own tank where carpenters can simulate working in real-life conditions.

They also have a class for scaffolding. Since the building is only so high, in order to really simulate a full set of scaffolding, the roof retracts so they can build scaffolding out of the roof of the building.

Robotics are becoming a more integral part of today’s society as technology evolves. The UBC is responsible for building the robotics for some of the largest car manufacturers in the US. Once complete, the operation and maintenance is then turned over to full-time specialists at the plant.

Carpenters can also receive several levels trainings on boilers systems, both gas and steam. Manufacturers such as General Electric work with the UBC directly to develop the training program because they know the product the best. The UBC then trains the trainers, who in turn train the carpenters.

Thanks to Jim from the UBC for a fantastic tour, and thanks to Ted from Blue Tarp Financial for setting it up!