The University of Iron
Ironworkers
Apprenticeship Program
Local 377 and 378
Organized Labor
Jan 2009
Welding instructor Brian Colombo used to be a freelance writer and substitute teacher, but he wanted a career with steady work and benefits for his wife and children. “I looked around and noticed iron workers are always working. I figured it’s an occupation where you can work hard and get paid well for your labor.” Now, many years later, he’s back to teaching, and enjoying it even more. “These are grown men, with bills to pay. They come here from other lines of work and are pretty serious. It’s gratifying to help someone along,” he explains. “You touch a lot of lives. When you help someone improve their skill level, you are helping them pursue prosperity. I like it when someone comes back and says to me, ‘Hey man, remember that thing you showed me? I did that on a job and it works great.’” There can also be frustrating moments, as Colombo relates: “I had a guy in here a couple weeks ago. He started yelling and came stomping out of the booth. I knew what was wrong. He started complaining we weren’t helping him enough. So I told him to come back that evening. I got in the welding booth with him, and all it took was correcting his body position. He passed his test and came back and thanked me. It takes a lot of patience to learn how to weld. It looks easy, but it’s not. Anyone can learn to weld. It doesn’t take any special athletic ability, just a lot of practice.”