In this energetic, on-location episode, we head to the 2026 United Association ITP Week and Apprenticeship Competition in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Clifton sits down with Ryan, last year's international competition winner turned mentor, and a table full of fourth- and fifth-year apprentices from across the U.S. and Canada. We dig into what it really takes to compete at the state, regional and international levels, and why this week is as much about brotherhood as it is about skill.

We explore:

• What the UA apprenticeship competition looks like from the state level all the way to internationals

• Why so many technicians make the leap from residential to union commercial and industrial work

• The variety and depth HVAC/R offers, from rooftops to grocery to institutional refrigeration

• How mentorship and continual training ...