Service + Solidarity Spotlight: HFIU Instructors Prepare to Train Next Generation of Insulators

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

One recent trend in the mechanical insulation industry has been the demand for sewn removable blankets over blankets made with the use of mechanical fasteners as the reusability and cost savings have proven valuable to users. In May, more than a dozen instructors and training coordinators of the Heat and Frost Insulators (HFIU) gathered for train-the-trainer sessions to learn how to teach these new skills to their fellow union members.

“It is always great to have instructors and members from all over our International [union] come together and learn from each other,” said Robert McGuckin, training coordinator for HFIU Local 17, which hosted the training sessions. “I think that the skills those who attended the Pads and Advanced Metal class leave with will help with teaching these skills to future generations of Insulators.”