Published: February 27, 2026
There’s a reason union-trained tradespeople produce the best detailers in the industry: apprenticeship isn’t just an education—it’s an immersion.
During apprenticeship, every future detailer spends thousands of hours learning the real craft of installation. They sweat. They lift. They weld. They troubleshoot. They learn from journeymen who have decades of hard-earned wisdom. They experience constraints that software alone can’t teach: where ladders fit, where lifts can’t reach, how tools actually operate, how long tasks really take.
So when a union-trained craftsperson transitions into detailing, something powerful happens: they stop drawing theoretical systems and start modeling reality.
This is why ICON BIM hires exclusively from the union trades. Because we want detailers who have lived the work. They’ve seen the impact of poor design. They’ve felt the frustration of inaccessible valves and impossible routing. They’ve solved real-world problems in real-time under real pressure.
That experience becomes their superpower in the BIM environment.
Our detailers don’t just route pipe—they predict field challenges. They don’t just place hangers—they understand loads. They don’t just coordinate—they collaborate with the knowledge of someone who’s worn the tools.
Union apprenticeship doesn’t just create skilled craftworkers. It creates detailers who elevate every project they touch.
