WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Labor leaders from across the State of Kentucky will converge in Louisville on October 7, 2009, to take part in the Kentucky State Building and Construction Trades Council Biennial Convention.

During this three-day event, labor leaders will have a chance to meet, share ideas and help determine the future of organized labor in the State of Kentucky for the next two years. It is an important event and expected to draw hundreds of delegates representing thousands of skilled craftsmen and women throughout Kentucky. This is a well-established event, but this year, something new has been added to the agenda - conference goers will have a chance to meet a special young man named Joshua (Josh) Coale who has been receiving quite a bit of attention lately.

Josh recently won top honors at the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada's International Apprenticeship Competition. The contest is a "best of the best" skills competition that whittles a pool of more than 50,000 apprentices from across the U.S. and Canada down to a single winner in one of five UA disciplines. The disciplines are Pipefitter, Service Technician, Welder, Plumber and Sprinklerfitter.

"Reaching the final round was no easy task for any of these apprentices," said Mike Arndt, training director of the UA, "since all those competing have received the UA's high level of training in the five required disciplines."

The skills competition also features a two-day International Copper Competition that tests the expertise of all the fourth- and fifth-year apprentices. Competitors are given an extremely taxing project that involves more than 40 copper joins, multiple joining techniques and a wide range of advanced calculations.

Josh, representing Sprinkler Fitters Local 669 in Kentucky, earned top honors in both the Sprinklerfitter skills competition and the Sprinklerfitter's copper contest.

And something else sets Josh apart from the competition. Josh is a military veteran who served his country for five years in the U.S. Marine Corps and he came to the trades via the Helmets to Hardhats program. Helmets to Hardhats is a free, nonprofit program that helps transitioning military servicemembers connect to quality career opportunities in the construction industry. Only employers who provide family-supporting wages and benefits gain access to Helmets to Hardhats candidates.

"Helmets to Hardhats is very proud of Josh and delighted that the Kentucky State Building and Construction Trades Council is honoring his accomplishments during this important forum," said Darrell Roberts, Executive Director of the Helmets to Hardhats program. "Josh is a great example of the type of young men and women who serve our country every day in uniform and a compelling example of how military skills, values and discipline translate into excellence in the civilian workforce."

About Helmets to Hardhats

Launched in January 2003 with funding from the Defense Department, Helmets to Hardhats provides an important link for veterans and soon-to-be veterans to the 15 building and construction trades, private construction industry employers and their joint apprenticeship programs. The program is administered by the Center for Military Recruitment, Assessment, and Veterans Employment (CMRAVE), a joint labor-management committee created by the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO, and their nine principle employer associations.

Collectively, these organizations represent 3 million construction workers and more than 82,000 contractors nationwide. For more information about Helmets to Hardhats, visit www.helmetstohardhats.org.

SOURCE Helmets to Hardhats

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