Who would have thought that taking a plain, thin, flat piece of metal, and with the right know-how, turning it into a vast variety of shapes so many important in our everyday lives? Look around and you will see formed metal everywhere. From flashings used on doors to keep out the weather, to vents and ducts designed to help you breathe better, or enclosures built for sensitive equipment, the list is almost endless.
San Quentin’s Vocational sheet metal shop, headed by industry veteran and shop instructor Keith Baughn, provides training to inmates in all aspects of the sheet metal trade. Mr. Baughn has been at San Quentin since 1997, following several decades as a sheet metal journeyman. He also has taught in the “Union’s” apprenticeship program beginning in 1985. “I thought I’d be at San Quentin for only five years. Now, it’s been almost 14!” said Mr. Baughn. “Sheet metal is the only craft I know of which designs, engineers, builds, installs and services what we do,” he added.
The instruction offered is top notch, with primary certification from the National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER). Apprenticeship representatives from the Sheet Metal Union’s North Bay Training Center also come to the shop quarterly to advise students on various opportunities in the industry.
The goal is to prepare inmates to enter the sheet metal industry at the apprentice level so they may go directly to one of the Sheet metal Union Local 104’s training centers upon their release. From there, the apprentice can obtain work in the field. Mr. Baughn noted that each man must be “insurable” in order to work. It is necessary to obtain a Social Security card and Drivers License upon release from prison.
Eddie Ramirez, a lifer who completed the sheet metal class and paroled a few years ago, is now very successful in the trade. “He’ll earn journeyman status soon from the San Jose training center,” according to Mr. Baughn. “Another of our successes is Javier “Hammer” Andretti, a short timer who … has made us all proud, not only as a qualified worker, but the union has even featured him at their job fairs helping to recruit new blood.”
Sheet Metal Leadman Hector Oropeza stated that inmate Burt Boatman came from vocational plumbing to sheet metal shop. Boatman paroled before finishing the course, learning to operate the Press-Brake machine. “That skill alone got him a job as soon as he paroled.”
It takes 14 to 18 months to complete the introductory level course, depending on the student. Opportunities to learn Computer Aided Design (CAD) blueprint reading, welding and soldering are all part of the curriculum. Safety training is mandatory and includes working with steel and lead. Students also learn asbestos abatement and awareness.
The shop’s ventilation system was upgraded through a joint effort with Vocational Machine Shop instructor Richard Sanez. Both shops are now up to Cal-OHSA standards. Recent equipment additions include a digital control power shear, hydraulic press-brake and MIG welder.
There is a “Home Add-On model” that students can actually design and fabricate as if on a real construction job site. Students learn both in the classroom and hands on. Math tutoring is offered weekly.
“It’s not about bending a bunch of metal and throwing it up in the air. It takes some real aptitude. My students even learn geometry and trigonometry, although they may not know it. We sneak in the hard stuff without them even realizing what they’ve accomplished,” said Mr. Baughn.
Milestone credits can be earned for those inmates who qualify, starting with one week off for the beginning core curriculum, and two weeks off for each sheet metal book completed. There are four books in the course.
Inmate Oropeza said, “Most importantly, we learn to visualize, engineer, plan, and then fabricate; you know, really think it through. We have to work as a team, leaving our differences at the door. Men learn self-confidence after their first project comes to life in front of them. These are life-skills we’ll use here in prison and for the rest of our lives.”
— Dwight Krizman contributed to this story.
