Dalton—The Floor Covering Education Foundation (FCEF) has partnered with Taylor Adhesives, a leader in high-quality flooring adhesives and substrate coatings, to help grow technical college programs across the country.
“We’ve found one of the biggest challenges getting technical school programs off the ground is the cost of the materials needed for hands-on training,” said Jim Aaron, executive director, FCEF. “Each commitment from a supplier willing to donate supplies helps us launch programs more rapidly.”
Taylor Adhesives said it has committed to providing its flooring adhesives for FCEF-supported technical college programs across the country. “This is yet another category of supplies we can check off our list,” said Kaye Whitener, director of operations at FCEF. “When we go to new schools to pitch a program, it is a significant help to show that we have the support of our industry and commitments to make sure supplies are available for classes.”
According to Seth Gladden, director of marketing, Taylor Adhesives, the company is excited that students will be learning with Taylor Adhesives products. “We can’t wait to see these programs developed across the country,” he said. “The availability of training for flooring craftsmen in our technical colleges will have a positive impact on the future of our industry.”
FCEF’s pilot program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College is now on its second 10-week cohort. GNTC is currently enrolling students for the full 15-week accredited program starting in August. The deadline for fall admissions is July 25.
According to the organization, FCEF will also be rolling out a similar program at Atlanta Technical College this fall. “This program is a little different in that it is embedded in their year-long construction program,” Whitener said. “This gives us the ability to reach more students who will learn the basics of flooring installation.”
According to Aaron, the goal is to offer several different structures so that technical colleges can choose an option that fits best with their curriculum. “The more we can expose students to the career options in flooring installation, the better,” Aaron said.
As FCEF grows its list of technical colleges where flooring installation training is available, the organization said it is looking for more suppliers to step up and help support the students.