Some carpenters do not swing the same type of hammer or build stru-tures like other carpenters. The Millwrights and Pile Drivers are a specialty trade represented by The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. They are best described as highly skilled me-chanics that specialize in the set-up and maintenance of heavy machin-ery; the type of industrial machinery found in steel mills, paper mills, automotive assembly plants and power plants.
Malachi Johnson modestly admitted… “I didn’t choose the Mill-wrights – the Millwrights chose me. Being in Job Corps showed me which star to reach for, and with the proper guidance and hard work I was successful.” As Malachi reached fifty percent of this trade com-pletion, his carpentry training was supplemented with a six week welding internship at the Lincoln Electric Welding School.
The UBC Job Corps Carpentry Pre-Apprenticeship students at the Cleveland Job Corps Center (CJCC), assist The Ohio Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship Trust Fund with prepar-ing servicing and deconstructing projects at their Annual State Apprenticeship Skills Com-petition at the Richfield Training Facility each May. The day of the competition, Job Corps carpentry students are given the opportunity to showcase their skills by constructing a full scale house framing mock-up. Throughout the day, Job Corps students switch roles as builders, ambassadors, and guests.
The Millwright and Pile Drivers Shop at the Richfield Facility may seem intimidating to some guests due to the machinery and training equipment that it contains; however, the Lincoln Electric Welding Simulator positioned near the entrance door, captures the curios-ity of most guests. As Malachi completed his turn at the simulator, a nearby spectator, Business Representative of The Millwrights and Pile Drivers Union, passed him a business card.
Approximately six months later, UBC Business Representatives stopped by the trade building to meet and observe the carpentry students after a scheduled luncheon. The stu-dents were given a short presentation and informed about upcoming employment opportu-nities. Malachi stepped out of his comfort zone and seized the opportunity to reintroduce himself to the Business Representatives and provide them with his updated resume. Within three weeks Malachi was offered a position with a local Millwright contractor. Malachi’s first job: working an outage at a Ford Assembly Plant as an Apprentice Millwright.
Outage work is grueling; Malachi was required to work eight to twelve hour shifts, sev-en days per week until the job was done. The process involves meeting or surpassing daily benchmarks with the end goal of completing the project by the deadline. Malachi is now working his second outage as a Millwright ap-prentice in a power plant