Tony Ward, a fifth year apprentice at Advance Air & Heat was recently recognized for his Outstanding Achievement in Service Technology by Local 51, the Providence, RI branch of the United Association (U.A.) of Plumbers and Pipefitters. This honor qualifies Tony to participate in the regional contest to select the U.A. Apprentice of the Year for 2009 and includes several prizes sponsored by Klein Tools.

Advance Air has been a member of the United Association since 1986, when the company was first formed. The U.A. has the first nationally registered joint apprenticeship program in the United States---60 years and growing. The goal of the program is to prepare its apprentices to uphold the principle that every job done by a United Association member is "Done Once. Done Right."

Apprentices in Local 51 undergo five years of extensive classroom and on-the-job training before they become journeymen technicians. The stringent requirement of 248 classroom hours and 10,000 on the job hours is far above what is required for licensing in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

With the great competition in the Local 51 Apprenticeship Program, we at Advance Air & Heat are proud of Tony's stand-out achievement and wish him luck in the Regional Competition!