Superior skills, dauntless attitude and unparalleled work ethic make Boilermakers an elite group of professionals.

The U.S. Marines refer to themselves as the "Few and the Proud." In the construction field, boilermakers can make the same claim. Boilermakers are construction professionals whose highly skilled craftsmanship and determined attitude set them apart from most other occupations.

The boilermaker profession dates back to the 19th century, when steam powered the Industrial Revolution and opened up new horizons through the train and steam locomotive. Boilermakers built these locomotives, ushering in the Industrial Age.

Boilers are the systems that generate high pressure steam that drive the turbines for power plants, nuclear reactors, oil and gas refineries, factories, chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, and even breweries. Boilermakers also build the massive containers that hold gases and liquids such as oil and chemicals.

Boilers are fired in furnaces, fireboxes or big burners that heat a series of tubes filled with water. Through a very complex system of heating exchanges, saturated steam is produced. The high-pressure steam turns massive turbines, providing electricity.

Boilermakers also install and maintain the large pressure vessels in oil refineries that process the crude oil into different petroleum products.

First and foremost, to build these systems, boilermakers must be master riggers, welders and tube fitters. They must employ a variety of sophisticated welding techniques to connect the tubes in the boiler. The components of the boiler must be impervious to cracks, which requires a level of welding skill that takes years to hone. Other skills boilermakers master are gouging steel (burning grooves in steel), beveling and rolling steel tubes.

Every project begins with the blue prints. Boilermakers must be able to read a designer's plans precisely for the project to be completed properly.

From there, boilermakers erect the cranes that are needed to hoist large pieces of the boiler in place or remove old pieces that are being replaced. Often these cranes are quite large. As a matter of fact, you may have been fortunate enough to see Big Blue, which has been used on a few projects in New Jersey. Big Blue is the world's largest crane, with a main boom 400-feet long and the capacity to lift and move 704 tons at a time. Boilermakers also become very skilled at rigging and hoisting materials with the help of these large cranes (though they don't actually operate the cranes).

Boilermakers then go about crafting and assembling the tubes and tanks that make up boilers. Because projects -- boilers, dams, power generation plants, storage tanks, and pressure vessels -- are usually of such mammoth size, a significant portion of boilermaker work is performed at great heights, often from 200 to 1000 feet above the ground.

Most of the projects are repairing, updating and replacing existing units. This involves removing old, damaged components before replacing them with boiler equipment.

Boilermakers will readily admit that their profession is not for everyone. They are dispatched to projects in all corners of the state. Their work is demanding and must often be done in tough conditions. It requires a dedicated person who seeks challenges. However, the people who can do the work are compensated very well and earn the satisfaction of being part of an elite group of professionals.

Salary and Benefits
One of the primary - if not the primary - factors in choosing a career is the compensation - salary and benefits. Boilermakers make a very attractive wage, and the trade like others provides opportunities for advancement to supervisory positions that increase the base wage.

Journeyman Foreman General Foreman

$35.03 per hour $37.53 per hour $39.03 per hour

Benefits:

• Family Health Insurance • Pension • Annuity • Vocational Fund • Paid Vacation

Work Conditions
Boilermakers consider themselves the "down and dirty" profession because a majority of their work is repair work in places most other crafts won't go - such as hazardous refineries and boilers. Heavy lifting in confined spaces makes the work strenuous and demanding. You may be out of work for several weeks then dispatched to work seven days a week, putting in 10 to 12 hour days until the job is completed. Boilermakers work at great heights and they are exposed to extreme heat and cold. Boilermakers in New Jersey travel to all points of the state to perform their trade.

Career Outlook
According to the Federal Government's Occupational Outlook Handbook, the growth of employment opportunities for boilermakers will hold steady over the next decade. Most work is expected to involve the repair and retrofitting of existing boilers, rather than completely replacing existing boilers with new ones.

Apprenticeship
Apprentice boilermakers must complete a four-year training program, which consists of 6,000 hours of on-the-job training and 576 hours of classroom instruction.

Classroom instruction is conducted at the Boilermakers Training Center in Bayonne. Classroom training provides the fundamentals of what the apprentice will learn on the job site. Apprentices first learn basic safety and review the math skills necessary for the trade (advanced math, which is a required skill for boilermakers, is part of the curriculum in each of the four years of the apprenticeship). They then learn the basics of the hand and power tools they will use on a regular basis, rigging and how to understand blueprints.

First year apprentices also begin to learn about welding. Because welding is a vital skill for the boilermaker, apprentices go through intensive welding experience all four years of their apprenticeship. They also learn how to gouge and bevel tubes. Over the course of the four years, apprentices will spend at least 172 hours at the training center learning to become expert welders.

Over the course of their time in the classroom, boilermaker apprentices also learn how to draft designs, develop and fabricate patterns, tube rolling and installation, how to erect tanks, and how to work with new materials like fiberglass reinforced plastic. The training is divided evenly between theory and hands-on practice in the welding shop.

From the outset of their training, apprentices are assigned to a qualified contractor where they apply their classroom training on the job. On the job training begins with the most rudimentary tasks but the apprentice soon begins to receive more advanced tasks. Apprentices work with skilled journeymen who play a vital role in the training process, providing the value of their years of experience.

Aside from receiving a free education, boilermaker apprentices begin earning a salary and benefits from the beginning. First year apprentices earn 65 percent of the journeyman rate, and that percentage increases steadily following every 1,000 hours of training.

Requirements
The eligibility requirements for the boilermaker apprentice program are:

• 18 years of age • High school diploma or GED • Valid Drivers License

No written exam is given; however, candidates with some proven welding experience are given priority.

Profile
Students who display the following characteristics are ideal for the boilermaker profession:

• Show some mechanical ability • At least a C student • Willingness to follow direction • Not afraid of heights • Physically able to perform strenuous work

Contact

Apprentice Coordinator Boilermakers Local Lodge #28 976 Broadway Bayonne, NJ 07002 (201) 339-3173