I spent some time last month attending graduation ceremonies and celebrating with family friends as their children completed high school or college. My husband and I traveled to Texas to celebrate our granddaughter’s high school graduation, joining thousands of other people proudly supporting their graduates in a packed auditorium.
My granddaughter’s graduating class of nearly 500 students showcased an impressive array of academic and sports scholarships as well as military enlistments. What stood out to me the most, however, was the list of students who were opting for local community and technical college programs to pursue skilled trades. This caught my attention, likely because of my role at FCEF. It highlighted a significant shift: Attending a four-year college is no longer seen as the only viable next step for all students. In other words, exploring alternative opportunities and careers is becoming more accepted.
The school superintendent announced a long list of skilled trade careers these students would be entering in the fall. The trades included culinary arts, agriculture, healthcare, electrical work, plumbing, construction, HVAC, lineman school and solar energy. As he concluded his list, he mentioned, “We even have a student training to become a brick mason,” which received a round of applause from the audience.
After three years of dedicated effort with local technical and community colleges to introduce our industry as a viable career option, I realized we have made significant progress as a society. We now recognize that not all students need to attend a four-year college, especially when 73% of graduates never work in their field of study. It’s crucial to reconsider burdening our children with extreme college debt for degrees that may not lead to careers with commensurate wages.
Our industry has a unique opportunity to attract attention from schools, parents and students looking for new career paths in skilled trades. With the basic floor covering installation program now in operation at 11 colleges across eight states, we have a chance to draw new, quality talent to our industry. A new generation is becoming aware of the diverse career pathways available in our field, and we are starting to be seen as a top career choice. Five years ago, such progress in conversations with the college systems would have been unimaginable.
FCEF has worked tirelessly to be present in the education system, aiming to attract new talent to our industry. Our window of opportunity might be brief, and we need your support to continue raising awareness and guiding a new generation toward our industry. FCEF is currently in discussions with more than 50 school systems nationwide. To keep offering scholarships to students selecting installation programs, bridging the gap between students and job placement, and developing support for these programs, we need your donations to continue our efforts.
In the near future, I envision our industry’s skilled trade careers being listed proudly alongside other career choices at graduation ceremonies. Please consider supporting FCEF as we continue to support the flooring industry.
Kaye Whitener is director of operations for the Floor Covering Education Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting recruitment, training and retention of floor covering installers. For more information, email kwhitener@fcef.org.
