Sheet metal a family affair when parents, kids apprentice together

The trades have a reputation for “running in the family.” Historically, a young man often followed in his father’s and even grandfather’s footsteps into a union. These days, not only is it increas­ingly common for women to find careers in the unionized trades, but in some cases the generational order of apprenticeship is switched around.

That’s the case for Sophia Thompson, 25, and her mother, Monica Thompson, 53, both in their third year of apprenticeship at SMART Local 49 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Around the same time that the Thompsons started, Josh Edgington, 46, joined the apprenticeship at SMART Local 206 in San Diego after encouraging his son, Josh Edgington Jr., to join the union. Both are in their third year of apprenticeship as well.

For Sophia and Monica Thompson, their journey began at a job fair at the Rio Rancho Events Center in 2022. Within five minutes, the two women had what Sophia called a life-changing experience: A representa­tive from SMACNA showed them how to apply for an apprenticeship. That was on a Friday, and by Monday, Sophia was working in the apprenticeship. On Tuesday, her mother joined her. Both are the first in their family to enter the trades, and they agree it feels like the start of a great career.

Monica Thompson spent time as an aircraft mechanic in the Army, then later went to school to become an aesthetician — a completely different occupation but still working with her hands. After moving to the Albuquerque area, she found there were not that many positions in cosmetology.

“I did not want to do retail again,” Monica said. “The union was a really good alternative fit.”

Sophia entered college first and changed her major four times before earning an associate degree at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis. Her plan was to find a job and save money to go back to school.

“I now see myself in the union for the long term,” she said. “This is a career opportunity for sure.”

Both are currently working for Energy Balance and Integration, based in Albuquerque. When they get to work together, they say their styles complement each other: Monica, with more life experience, is less afraid of trying new ways of doing things, while her daughter can be a bit more regimented.

“We know how each other works, and we work well together,” Monica said. “There’s no communication barriers, none.”

Both mother and daughter have gravitated toward testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB), a specialty that requires a strong command of math to fine-tune the performance of HVAC systems. After apprenticeship, Sophia plans to finish a degree in engineering as well. She said more people her age should be made aware of the tuition-free training SMART offers, and recalled a recent conversation with two welding students at the community college her sister attends.

“I told them about the union program, and they were baffled,” she said. “I explained it, but I don’t think they even believed me.”

In September 2025, the mother-daughter duo attended Tradeswomen Build Nations in Chicago, joining fellow SMART sisters at the largest gathering of unionized tradeswomen in the world.

Meanwhile, in San Diego, it was the elder Josh Edgington who urged his son, who goes by Junior, to join the union. Both had some college credits in HVAC and were working together in construction, but they noticed the pay was stagnant, and there were no benefits.

“I told him, ‘Go make something of your life, join a union, get into HVAC, it’s a good trade with a lot of opportunity,’” recalled Josh Edgington. “Then, to be honest, I joined because he joined. I started thinking, ‘Who am I to tell him to go and do this and I’m not going to do it?’”

Josh said he keeps his “dad hat” on all the time, and his parental instinct was in full gear as he showed Junior how to safely navigate the jobsite. Now, in their third year of apprenticeship, the father and son function more like a collaborative team.

“I got my feet wet in the shop and then got to jump in with my dad,” the younger Edgington said. “It’s just cool to work with him and actually know what I’m doing.”

When asked if his son has taught him anything, the father laughed and said, “patience!”

“I’ve taught him a bunch of stuff, yeah. Like, that he’s not always right — there’s different ways to do stuff,” Junior added.

The contractor they work for specializes in high-rises, which take up to two years to complete. With many high-rises going up in San Diego, both feel like they will enjoy a stable, rewarding career. Josh will finish apprenticeship first, thanks to earning some meritorious advancement in the program. He aims to become a foreperson, while his son is looking forward to getting more experience and becoming a well-rounded jour­neyperson. Josh said he’s proud to be union now, but even more proud that he got his son in, and on the right path, at an early age.

“I’ve taught him most of his life, it’s time for him to veer off and learn from better teachers now,” he said.