January 5, 2021 - The International Training Institute (ITI) has named Chris Caricato (above left) as its new architectural specialist and Carl Simons (above right) as its new building information modeling (BIM) specialist. They will also serve as field representatives for the organization.

Caricato comes to the ITI from San Diego, where he worked as Sheet Metal Workers Local 206’s training director. Simons hails from Madison, Wisconsin, where he worked as a full-time instructor and training coordinator for Local 18.

Caricato has spent nearly three decades in the sheet metal industry, much of it specializing in the architectural and ornamental field. As the architectural sheet metal specialist, Caricato hopes to build upon the success of recently appointed Funds Administrator Dan McCallum in working with manufacturers and contractors to expand the availability of architectural sheet metal courses at the ITI’s more than 140 Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC) locations.

“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 only way to do that is by making sure our JATCs have the tools and resources they need to train our unionized sheet metal workers so they are the ones getting the work hours.”

As the Region 7 representative, he will cover Alaska, Arizona, British Columbia, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington on behalf of the ITI.

A self-proclaimed life-long learner, Simons began giving back by becoming a part-time instructor and later, training coordinator at Local 18. Under his leadership, the local remodeled its training center to incorporate a state-of-the-art computer lab to focus on BIM technologies including AutoCAD, Autodesk Fabrication Suite, Navisworks, Bluebeam, robotic total stations and 3D laser scanners.

“BIM is the way of the future,” said Simons. “If we don’t train our members to use these tools, we are going to lose our market share,” he said.

As the BIM specialist at ITI, Simons is tasked with researching, reviewing and learning new technology as it becomes available. Simons also acts as field representative for Region 6, covering Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and, in Canada, Alberta and Saskatchewan. He lives in Wisconsin with his wife, Beth, and two children, Molly and Lucas. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, snowmobiling, hunting and fishing.

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.