THIRD-YEAR APPRENTICE IVORY UGAITAFA FINDS FULFILLMENT, MENTORSHIP AND MOMENTUM AFTER SWITCHING CAREERS TO THE TRADES
Ivory Ugaitafa was working in retail just a few years ago, looking for work that felt meaningful and stable. After a conversation with her wife, Carolina, she decided to pursue a career in the trades. In 2023, she enrolled in a program that set her on a path to become a plumber.
Ugaitafa is now a third-year plumbing apprentice working on commercial projects in Southern California. The transition from overnight team lead for Walmart has provided not only a new career but also a clearer sense of direction and long-term stability.
“I’ve always been a hands-on-type person,” she said. “I came to a point in my life where the job I was doing was not fulfilling me mentally and emotionally.”
The pre-apprenticeship program she enrolled in was WINTER — Women in Non-Traditional Employment Roles — which helps women prepare for careers in construction and related trades.
Before entering the program, Ugaitafa already had some exposure to plumbing through her older brother, who worked as a service and repair plumber. She occasionally helped him with small projects at the church they attended, gaining a basic familiarity with the work.
“He would have to run a condensate line or install toilets and I would help him,” she said. “That’s how I got familiarized with plumbing and that’s what opened my eyes to see that, oh, it’s much more than just being a human plunger.”
Her brother no longer works as a plumber, but she still turns to him for support.
“He’s been very encouraging,” she said. “He is definitely one of the guys that I go to, to talk about things.”
Ugaitafa works with ACCO Engineered Systems at the Soto Data Center project in Vernon, California. Her work is primarily commercial and focuses on installation of cast-iron waste and vent systems.
She has begun installing overhead piping as her responsibilities expand, setting hangers, confirming elevations and ensuring proper alignment before pipe is placed.
She is gaining more experience with layout and plan reading.
“With hangers, you have to figure out north, south, east, west and where you’re at in the building,” she said. “I’m getting more familiar with reading plans and figuring out where I am.”
She has also taken on an informal mentoring role on the jobsite.
“I’m also helping the other newer apprentices, the first years and the second years, come along,” she said. “Helping them get familiar with the site and how to material handle and how to stay organized.”
The work has confirmed she made the right decision in changing careers.
“I love it,” she said. “I want more of it.
“I really want to do more layout so that I’m better at reading plans and figure out where I’m at on a blueprint as opposed to just being told, ‘OK, this goes there, that goes here,’” she said.
Ugaitafa is working toward a brazing certification and is considering welding as a future specialty. For now, her primary focus is completing her apprenticeship and continuing to learn as much as possible.
Another important part of her development has been involvement with IAPMO. Ugaitafa first learned about the organization through the WINTER program, when UA Local 78 apprenticeship coordinator Omar Galindo introduced students to plumbing codes and standards and encouraged them to attend local meetings.
Her first experience attending a local chapter meeting was challenging.
“I went to a meeting and I was like, ‘I don’t understand anything,’” she said.
But she continued attending and gradually began connecting what she heard in meetings with what she saw on the jobsite.
“He was telling me the more you go, the more you get to connect the meeting to your work site,” she said. “And sure enough, the more I go to IAPMO the more I can piece together, ‘Oh, OK, this is what they’re talking about.’”
Ugaitafa began to see the connection between chapter presentations and the work happening on her jobsite.
“One time I went and there was a presentation on sump pumps, and then the next week we’re installing sump pumps,” she said. “I was kind of a little bit up on game.”
She now views IAPMO meetings as an extension of her training.
“I really love going to IAPMO because they talk about things that, in the future, even if you’re not doing it now, in the future you may run into that,” she said.
The organization has also helped her build relationships within the industry. Many of her coworkers and supervisors attend the same meetings, giving her opportunities to connect with journeymen and foremen outside the jobsite. She has also gained access to code books and workbooks that support her development.
“Right now I’m with ACCO so there’s a lot of ACCO people who go there,” she said. “Journeymen, foremen. So it was nice to see them.”
At a holiday gathering, she received copies
of the plumbing and mechanical codes along with additional study materials.
“That was a win,” she said.
Ugaitafa installs overhead piping and works on a plumbing fixture in a confined space. PHOTOS COURTESY OF IVORY UGAITAFA
Learning more about the code has influenced how she approaches her work.
“Getting more into the code, it’s now more important to me to take my time, make sure I’m hitting elevation,” she said. “Because if things are off, if the hangers are off and then the pipe is gonna be off.”
She also pays closer attention to installation details and protection of materials. “Learning how to install to code, like the copper can’t touch any other metal besides copper or brass,” she said. “You have to make sure you use 10 mil when you’re going through cans, just protecting your work, making sure it’s strapped good and it meets measurements.”
For Ugaitafa, understanding code requirements reinforces pride in craftsmanship.
“I feel like going to IAPMO and learning the code, it just makes you want to be a better craftsman with your work,” she said.
Her advice to other newcomers reflects that mindset.
“Just keep your head down, keep learning, remain teachable no matter what, and just work,” she said.
Although Ugaitafa, 36, entered the trades later than many apprentices, she sees the long-term opportunities as worth the transition. Her immediate goal is to complete her apprenticeship and become a dependable journeyman who can help move work forward and support others entering the trade.
“In five years, I would like to be journeyed out and a good journeyman, someone who can help the work move along and who can also help apprentices get better and fall in love with the trade,” she said.
She believes the future of the industry depends on committed apprentices and strong training.
“The trade is only as good as the apprentices,” she said. “Without the apprentices coming in and wanting to do the work, then we’re kind of dead in the water.”
The stability of the career is another motivating factor.
“It brings a peace of mind because you’re not putting in all this work and putting in all these hours for nothing,” she said. “You’re building a pension, you’re building a retirement, you’re building a career, a future.”
Outside of work, Ugaitafa spends most of her time with family. She and Carolina have been married for nine years and have two children, Isabelle, 16, and Jimmy, 11. When they have free time, they enjoy spending time outdoors and visiting scenic viewpoints together.
Even away from the jobsite, she often finds herself thinking about how to improve.
“Honestly, it’s become like my hobby as well,” she said. “Even when I’m off work, I think about ways I could be better.”
Mike Flenniken
Mike Flenniken is a staff writer, Marketing and Communications, for IAPMO. Prior to joining IAPMO in 2010, Flenniken worked in public relations for a group of Southern California hospitals and as a journalist in writing and editing capacities for various Southern California daily newspapers.
Last modified: April 15, 2026