Dalton—Through a new promotion named “100 in 100,” the Floor Covering Education Foundation (FCEF) announced that it will offer scholarships to cover the full cost of tuition for installation training to 100 individuals in 100 days.
The promotion kicks off Dec. 1 and runs through March 10, 2024. To be eligible for the scholarship, individuals must be new to the industry or have worked as an installation helper for less than a year. As with all scholarships awarded by FCEF, this applies to tuition for beginning and intermediate classes from FCEF-approved training partners, including CFI (Certified Flooring Installers), NWFA (National Wood Flooring Association), CTEF (Ceramic Tile Education Foundation), and AFT (Advanced Flooring Technologies).
Traditionally, FCEF scholarships have covered 50% of the tuition cost for training courses. However, during this promotional period, FCEF will provide scholarships for the entire tuition fee.
“We’re excited that our board has approved offering scholarships to cover 100% of the tuition for training during this promotional period,” said Jim Aaron, executive director of FCEF. “We keep hearing how many other industries are starving for talent, and many of them already cover 100% of introductory training. These 100 days will tell us if the responsibility to cover the other 50% of the cost of introductory training is an impediment to entering our industry.”
Kaye Whitener, director of operations for FCEF, added: “This promotion is limited to 100 individuals over 100 days, so I encourage everyone to think about who they can send to training now. Of course, all the other requirements of our scholarship awards still apply with this promotion. Those include having no felony charges, being new to the industry, having the desire to pursue a career in flooring installation, living in the U.S. or Canada, and being able to participate in an English-speaking program.”
Scott Humphrey, CEO of the World Floor Covering Association and FCEF Board member, is also on the FCEF Scholarship committee, came up with the idea, and said it adds a little “bump” to what traditionally is a stagnant time of the year. “We took this idea to both the scholarship committee and then to the full board for a vote. In both instances, it was approved unanimously,” he said. “Everyone is fully onboard and excited to see the promotion move the needle over the 100-day period.” Additionally, FCEF has worked to create a Best Practices Guide to assist retailers in bringing approved training partner programs to their local communities. This guide was created following the insights gained from assisting DeGraaf Interiors in hosting and sponsoring a 5-week carpet training with CFI in the summer of 2023.
Aaron emphasized the need to overcome geographical barriers for potential recruits, saying, “We recognize that even if 100% of the tuition is covered, it is still sometimes an impediment to ask a recruit to travel to another state to go through training at one of our partners’ headquarters.”
Retailers or retailer groups interested in implementing effective local recruitment and training plans are encouraged to reach out to FCEF promptly, as the 100 scholarship slots are expected to fill up quickly.
The training classes available for scholarships are located on the FCEF’s Recruit Forward website, flooryourfuture.com.