The U.S. needs 320,000 more welders by 2029 — and data centers are accelerating the shortage. UA Training Specialist Bob Derby joins Andrew Brown.
There's a program most people in the trades have never heard of: the UA Welder Finishing School. It takes pipe welders with existing skills — from trade schools, non-union shops, or plant work — and gets them UA-certified and dispatched to a job in 8 weeks or less. At no cost to the individual. Meanwhile, data centers are creating a surge in piping and welding work that shows no sign of slowing. The labor market is wide open — and the UA wants to fill it.
Bob Derby is a UA Training Specialist with nearly 30 years in the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry. He came up through the apprenticeship as a pipe welder, earned his certified welding inspector credentials, became an instructor, and eventually trained UA members across the country as a regional and national instructor. He now leads workforce development efforts and helped build the UA Welder Finishing School program.
If you're a pipe welder working non-union and wondering whether the UA is an option — or a young person trying to figure out how to get in, what to earn, and how far you can go — this episode lays it out clearly and honestly.
IN THIS EPISODE
(00:00) – The 320K Welder Shortage: Bob opens with the scale of the workforce gap and explains why the UA is uniquely positioned to solve it — and why now is one of the best times ever to be entering the piping trades.
(05:00) – How to Get Into the UA: The application process starts at UANet.org — no connections required. Bob explains what the interview actually looks like, what sets candidates apart, and what happens if you don't get in the first time.
(12:00) – Wages, Benefits & the 5-Year Apprenticeship: Apprentices typically start at $20–25/hour with healthcare, pension, and 401k contributions from day one — and skilled journeymen can retire with $1.5–2M in their 401k.
(19:00) – Mentorship: The People Who Shape a Career: Bob shares how a gruff journeyman named Al — who didn't want him around — became one of the most important mentors of his life, and what that story reveals about how apprenticeship actually works.
(26:00) – Career Ladder Beyond the Journeyman Card: From foreman to instructor, certified welding inspector, training coordinator, and multi-craft superintendent — Bob traces a career path that started in a town of 643 people and led to teaching UA members across the country.
(35:00) – Data Centers, Prefab Trends & the Welder Finishing School: The data center boom is driving massive demand for pipe welders right now. Bob explains how prefabrication is changing the trade — and breaks down the UA Welder Finishing School, a program that gets experienced pipe welders UA-certified and on a job site in 8 weeks or less.
Key Takeaways
You don't need to know anyone to get into the UA — start at UANet.org, find your local union, and apply. If you don't make it the first time, the door stays open and the local will tell you exactly where you fell short.
UA apprentices start at $20–25/hour with full benefits, pension credits, and 401k contributions from day one — and those who start young can retire with $1.5–2M in their 401k, depending on their local and contract.
We can train aptitude, but we can't train attitude — the most important things an apprentice brings to the interview and the job site are humility and eagerness to learn, not prior experience.
The UA Welder Finishing School is a free, 8-week-or-less program for pipe welders with existing skills who want to get UA-certified and dispatched — including graduates of trade schools like Kentucky Welding Institute who come in test-ready and are often working within two or three weeks.
About the Guest
Bob Derby is a UA Training Specialist with the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry. With nearly 30 years in the UA, he came up through the apprenticeship as a pipe welder, earned his Certified Welding Inspector credentials, became an instructor and training coordinator at his local union, and has taught regional and national courses — including the UA's Authorized Testing Representative and Certified Welding Inspector prep programs — to members across the country.
Bob currently leads workforce development initiatives including the UA Welder Finishing School, a program designed to bring skilled pipe welders from outside the union into UA membership and into the workforce quickly. He is passionate about making the UA's career opportunities visible to the next generation of tradespeople.
Keywords
pipe welding career, UA union welding, pipe welder jobs, welding workforce shortage, united association, UA apprenticeship, journeyman welder, pipe fitter career, welder finishing school, UA certification, ASME welding, apprenticeship application, certified welding inspector, Bob Derby, United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, Kentucky Welding Institute, Local 577, UA Training Specialist, pipe fitting career, HVAC trades, plumbing career, data center construction, skilled trades career, welding shortage, Gen Z trades
RESOURCE LINKS
Bob Derby on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-derby/
United Association Website: https://ua.org/
Find Your Local Union: https://uanet.org/
Kentucky Welding Institute: https://kwi.us/
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