I want to thank my wife. And my mentors, who through the years have taught me a lot. I wanted to do good for them.
Mark Kerkaert (center) from Minneapolis Local 647 accepts the 2024 National Apprentice of the Year award from BNAP Coordinator Mark Wertz (left) and BNAP Chairman Michael Bray (right).
Before finding the Boilermakers, 2024 National Apprentice of the Year Mark Kerkaert, Local 647 (Minneapolis), worked the night shift at a manufacturing plant welding cabs for heavy equipment. During the day he attended welding school, juggling both his job and his studies. But he wanted something more.
He wanted to find a job where he and his wife could travel together while earning a living. That’s when a weld trainer at his job told him to apply to the Boilermakers. The decision to indenture proved to be a good fit for him. Four years later, after graduating from his apprenticeship and after winning the Great Lakes regional apprenticeship competition, he found out he was headed to the national competition with little time off to prepare.
“I had a week off before I started working, so I read through all the books: the Constitution, referral rules and tool ID,” Kerkaert said. “I went through all the books and created flashcards; then I’d go through 200 flashcards at lunch.”
He set a goal to read through something every day as he prepared for the competition, and he made sure to keep studying a priority. But not everything he studied showed up on the test.
“I was disappointed there was nothing on the constitution [in the written test] because I’d studied the heck out of that and I knew a lot,” Kerkaert said.
He took every opportunity to prepare for the competition. He said he learned on the job from journeymen who became his mentors, frequently asking questions and benefiting from the guidance of seasoned Boilermakers.
“I learned all the knots,” he said. “Every time I’d walk by a rope, I’d tie a crown knot or something.”
When the day arrived for the competition, he went in “not cocky but confident,” he said. His buddy weld partner, whom he’d met at the regional competition, was a skilled Boilermaker, and Kerkaert believed they’d work well in the team competition—which they won.
While the competition was high-pressure and fast paced, he said it was essential to keep his head in the game.
“You know you’re going to mess up, but don’t think about your mistakes,” Kerkaert said. “Don’t ponder your mistakes. Just do your best for the next event.”
He said all the competitors were excellent. “When I went to regionals, I was very prepared. Then when I got there and started competing, I got a little more nervous. I realized everyone was high caliber. Then at the nationals, everybody was top notch.”
As he accepted the award for capturing the 2024 National Apprentice of the Year title, he emphasized he didn’t win it on his own.
“I want to thank my wife. And my mentors, who through the years have taught me a lot,” Kerkaert said. “I wanted to do good for them.”
