Apprenticeship program offers an Albuquerque mother and daughter careers — and community

Not many HVAC technicians can call their mom to talk through the nitty-gritty, technical ins and outs of the job — but Sophia Thompson can.

Why? Because her mom is also an HVAC technician.

“Sometimes if she’s across the hall, I’ll be like, ‘Mom, what’s the number?’” Sophia Thompson, 25, said with a laugh.

“Then everyone calls me ‘mom’ for the rest of the class,” Monica Thompson, 53, added.

The mother and daughter are in their third year of an apprenticeship program offered by SMART Local 49, the local chapter of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, or SMART.

SMART is a sheet metal labor union that represents 230,000 people across North America. SMART Local 49, founded in 1953, represents roughly 700 workers across New Mexico and West Texas. 

There were 1,820 heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers, and 650 sheet metal workers in New Mexico in 2024, according to New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions spokesperson Stacy Johnston. The average annual salaries for these jobs ranged between $56,190 and $63,690.

SMART Local 49 apprentices earn $58,148 in the first year of the program and build up to $86,220 in the fourth year, according to the local union chapter’s website.

With the ever-growing rise of artificial intelligence, it’s an exciting time to find a job in the trades, said SMART Local 49 training center Director Tina Chapman.

“We're at a turning point right now, especially with AI being able to automate a lot of administrative tasks that previously required multiple people to work,” Chapman said.

With numerous large data center projects down the pike across New Mexico and West Texas, Chapman said the trade industry is “on the verge of huge growth.”

“Those projects are going to be five-, 10- (and) 15-year jobs, and they’re going to require a lot of people,” Chapman said.

NMDWS data indicates that the number of heating and cooling mechanics and installers is expected to grow 15% by 2033, which is higher than the statewide average of 11% for all occupations, Johnston said. The growth rate for sheet metal workers is slightly more conservative at 8% through that same period.

The AI boom has highlighted the high pay, benefits and stability of the trades, but Chapman said many people still aren’t aware these careers are an option, leaving a shortage of workers ready to step in.

“There’s actually a big shortage of blue-collar workers — some people are calling them silver-collar workers now because it’s very lucrative,” Chapman said.

NMDWS Cabinet Secretary Sarita Nair said the department is working to close the trade worker gap through pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship initiatives, as well as Be Pro Be Proud, a mobile workshop that travels the state to engage students and community members in exploring technical careers through immersive virtual and augmented reality experiences.

“(NMDWS) has been focused on expanding the skilled trades for a number of years,” Nair said.

The Thompsons said they never would have learned about SMART Local 49’s free, paid four-year apprenticeship program if they hadn’t attended a job fair at the Rio Rancho Events Center in 2022. Enticed by the program’s combination of on-the-job and classroom training — and opportunities for high pay and benefits — they applied on the spot and started their training the following week.

Connecting with SMART Local 49 was a timely discovery for the two, who moved to New Mexico in 2022 after a job brought Monica Thompson’s husband to the area.

Monica Thompson was an aircraft mechanic in the U.S. Army for three years and a stay-at-home mom for several years before attending cosmetology school to become an esthetician — a career in which she found few openings in Albuquerque.

Her first thought when she heard the SMART Local 49 pitch was “I’m too old at this point,” she said. But shortly after, she thought, “Eh, I’m going to try it anyway.”

“I wish I could have gotten into it when I was a little bit younger, but this is how it worked out,” Monica Thompson said. “I just love working, and it is very rewarding.”

College was the route Sophia Thompson explored after graduating from high school. She changed her major four times before she received her associate degree in biology from Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis. She didn’t have enough money to continue her education, so she decided to find a job to save money and go back to school.

But by a twist of fate, the first booth she and her mother walked up to at that Rio Rancho job fair provided another option.

“I always say that when I went to that job fair, I walked out with a career,” Sophia Thompson said. “I don’t think about going to school anymore. This is a career opportunity.”

Sophia and Monica Thompson became the first women in their family to enter the trades. Through the apprenticeship, they’re learning everything from computer-aided design to measuring air flow, refrigeration service, welding and duct installation for HVAC systems.

With more than half of the apprenticeship complete, the Thompsons have decided to concentrate on testing, adjusting and balancing — a specialty that requires math skills and involves fine-tuning the performance of HVAC systems.

“It is humbling to see the families and how this is an artisan trade that is passed on,” Chapman said. “It truly is a craft, and what I like about it is (that) young people can come here, learn something that’s been handed down for centuries and it becomes a career.”

The Thompsons are currently working at Albuquerque’s Energy Balance and Integration — one of roughly 30 companies the local union contracts with to employ its apprentices. The companies assign a journeyman to supervise and instruct the apprentices.

The Thompsons have worked together on several projects, including the University of New Mexico Hospital’s critical care tower.

“We were there for probably about a year and were working closely together,” Sophia Thompson said. “It was fun. We know how each other rolls and how each other works. We’re pretty good together.”

The pair also trekked to Chicago in September to represent the sheet metal industry at Tradeswomen Build Nations, the largest gathering of unionized tradeswomen in the world.

“These two are superstars,” Chapman said.

Women are joining the trade industry more and more. Since 2015, the number of tradeswomen has increased by almost 160,000 people, or 77%, according to an August 2025 report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, citing the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Not everything we do involves the ability to lift 300 pounds over your head,” Chapman said. “A lot of it is technical work. A lot of it involves math and detail, so that makes it a very fair playing field.”

Recruiting more people, especially women and young adults, into the trades is something the Thompsons are passionate about. They spread the word to friends, family and strangers alike — and they're often met with surprise that such a program exists.

“There's not a lot of jobs (where) you can come off the street, get an education and work all at the same time without owing money at the end,” Monica Thompson said. “This is a fantastic opportunity for women and young mothers.”

The apprenticeship has also offered community for Sophia Thompson. She said she’s made more friends throughout the program than she did during her time in college.

The two aren’t sure if they’ll be working together forever, but they said they see themselves retiring in the field and continuing to learn as much as they can for as long as they can.

“There’s a lot of community. There’s a lot of people who lift you up, and then you see a lot of people who love their job,” Sophia Thompson said. “It’s hard to come by that.”

Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.