Kyle McCulley is a fourth-year apprentice who graduated from the VIP Welding Program at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM).
He was in the same unit as Scott Williamson (see more on his story), and they were deployed to Afghanistan together. Upon Scott’s recommendation, Kyle applied for the program and got in. Because he was originally from southern California, San Jose was Kyle’s first choice when it came to continuing with an apprenticeship program to become a pipefitter.
“I loved the program,” he said. “I did a lot of welding processes that I’d never done before. I’m currently working for United Mechanical, and we are working at Broadcom Corporation’s new campus."
"I’ve been installing carbon steel in all four of the buildings. I’ve been doing a lot of rigging and welding. Working with carbon steel is my favorite so far. I really like that there is a lot of on-the-job training with this program."
"They don’t just stick you in a classroom. I think it’s so much better when the classroom stuff applies to the on-the-job stuff, which is what happens here. You learn reallife scenarios and how you would handle those scenarios."
"Getting into the JBLM program was very competitive. I think there were 200 applicants for 12 positions. I’m still in the Army Reserves, and everyone has been great when I have to take time off to fulfill those obligations. I feel lucky that I found this program. It will be the perfect career for my family and me.”
This United Association Veterans In Piping Success Story was originally printed in the CareerOps: Career Opportunities in Piping for Transitioning Veterans Fall/Winter 2017 edition.
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