San Diego resident named specialist, field representative for national organization
FAIRFAX, Va. – Chris Caricato, training director for Sheet Metal Workers Local 206 in San Diego, recently joined the International Training Institute (ITI), the education arm of the unionized sheet metal industry, as an architectural sheet metal specialist and field representative.
Caricato has spent nearly three decades in the sheet metal industry, much of it specializing in the architectural, general and ornamental fields. He hopes to work with manufacturers and contractors to expand the availability of architectural sheet metal courses at the ITI’s more than 140 training centers.
“The architectural sheet metal market is continuing to see a strong resurgence,” Caricato said. “The ITI has done a great job responding to the industry’s needs. But as the market continues to expand, we need to make sure we don’t lose any ground.”
The Southern California native completed his apprenticeship training in 2003, and he can point out notable San Diego landmarks in the city skyline he has touched throughout his career.
As the Region 7 representative, he will cover Alaska, Arizona, British Columbia, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington on behalf of the ITI.
Caricato lives in Southern California with his wife, Kim, and their grown children, and they are expecting their first grandchild in 2021.
More than 14,000 apprentices are registered at 148 training facilities across the United States and Canada. The ITI is jointly sponsored by SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (formerly the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association) and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA).
ITI supports apprenticeship and advanced career training for union workers in the sheet metal heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), welding and industrial, architectural and ornamental, and service and testing, adjusting and balancing industry throughout the United States and Canada. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, the ITI develops and produces a standardized sheet metal curriculum supported by a wide variety of training materials free of charge to sheet metal apprentices and journeymen.
For more information about ITI and its available training curriculum for members covering sheet metal trade work, visit www.sheetmetal-iti.org or call 703-739-7200.
