Apprentices show off skills at ABC competition

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The Washington County Fair Park & Conference Center sounded more like a construction zone Friday morning than a place more commonly used as a venue for wedding banquets and craft exhibitions.

Forty apprentices representing a handful of trades were there Friday showing off their abilities and technical knowledge as part of an Apprenticeship Skill Competition organized by the Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin. The event took place in an expansive room inside the convention center, which stands just south of West Bend.

In the far northwest corner of the room, carpentry apprentices were already giving shape to various small projects by 9 a.m., a mere hour after everyone got to work on their assignments. One structure — a wall — stood propped up behind the workstation of the apprentice who was building it. The area was roped off with the same sort of yellow caution tape that was likewise used to demarcate the four other apprentice stations in the room.

Brandon Geier, moments after making some cuts with a circular saw, reached into his massive tool belt, with its pockets extended nearly to his knees on both sides of his waist, and pulled out a tape measure. He and the three other carpentry apprentices kept themselves busy switching between taking measurements, cutting wood and hammering various things together.

What were they building, exactly?

“We call it the ‘glorified dog house’ when they’re done,” said Bill Rozga, president of Rozga Plumbing & Heating Corp., noting the structure’s size.

The ABC of Wisconsin’s Apprenticeship Skill Competition is held every year primarily to give trades workers who are completing apprenticeships with ABC member contractors an opportunity to show what they have learned. If they succeed at this stage, they can go on to compete at the national level.

The 40 apprentices who took part in the event Friday — up from 23 participants in 2015 — came as representatives of six Wisconsin technical colleges and nearly 20 construction companies. They were competing to win recognition of their abilities in five types of trades: electrical, plumbing, HVAC, pipe insulation and carpentry work.

The ABC of Wisconsin planned to announce the winners later in the day Friday. The event’s winners will go on to compete in March in the ABC’s National Craft Championship in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

The physical portion of the competition took up the first four hours of the day Friday. Apprentices were given instructions and various materials to work with. They were asked to complete their assigned tasks by noon.

Rozga said the judges scored the apprentices on their use of tools and materials and their compliance with safety rules and building codes.

Following a lunch break and judging session, apprentices also took a written exam. Rozga said the exam was largely on code compliance. Another portion had takers drafting isometric drawings.

The judges largely consisted of project managers employed by various construction companies, who all volunteer their time. Others, like Rozga, helped organize and oversee the event.

Charlie Vine said he understood what the young men were going through. An employee of Fond du Lac-based Northcentral Construction Corp., he took part in the last year’s carpentry competition.

With the sound of electric saws buzzing, hammers pounding and torches igniting behind him, Vine didn’t hesitate to say his preference was for the physical portion of the event.

“I don’t know who doesn’t like to compete, (to) test your skills against other people to prove you’re one of the best out there,” he said.

Vine said that four hours may seem like plenty of time to finish a project. It’s easy to forget, he said, that participants are also expected to produce results of the highest quality, meaning the pressure to perform is great.

Among the attributes most likely to help a participant win in Friday’s event were the ability to read blueprints and pay attention to detail under pressure. Those same attributes will come in handy in the field, Vine said.

“A lot of our industry is a time crunch, so you’ll have to be able to perform even when things get tough, even when there’s a lack of time,” he said. “You’re always being pushed. There’s never a slow pace to the environment, it seems like. So I think the skills competition really helps provide that for us.”

Vine added that his eventual move up to compete at the national level made the entire experience worthwhile. Not only did he get a chance to see how he stacks up against others from across the country, taking sixth in his category, but he also got to add greatly to his stable of acquaintances in the trades. Follow @alexzank