For far too long the flooring industry has operated without a unified commitment to education and training. We’ve depended on experience earned on the job, with little formal structure to prepare the next generation for long-term success. While this method has served us in decades past, today’s workforce requires more. The question we must now ask ourselves is: What’s it going to take to build a stronger, more sustainable flooring industry?
It starts with a demand for quality education and training—not just in installation, but across every career path our industry offers. Installation is the backbone of what we do, and for the first time, we have developed an industry-backed Basic Floor Covering Installation Program that is being adopted across the nation. This program, now embedded in technical colleges, community colleges and high school construction pathways, is already introducing our industry to a new generation. And it’s not just for installers. Sales professionals, both commercial and retail, stand to benefit from understanding the core fundamentals of flooring installation.
As someone who spent many years in retail and commercial sales, I can say with certainty that my success was rooted in understanding how flooring products performed once installed. I knew how to estimate properly, speak to installation challenges and guide customers through what to expect during the process. That kind of knowledge doesn’t just improve the customer experience; it builds trust, drives repeat business and ensures greater satisfaction. In short, sales and installation are two sides of the same coin. The more we connect them through shared education, the more value we create for businesses and customers alike.
We now have an unprecedented opportunity as an industry to set standards and expectations for the workforce. We must begin to define credentials not just for installers, but also for sales associates, project managers, estimators and others. Establishing education pathways and certification expectations helps elevate professionalism and improves our ability to recruit and retain talent.
The Basic Floor Covering Installation Program is just the beginning. It’s a foundational step toward building something greater. But for this progress to truly take hold, it must be embraced by our entire industry—from manufacturers and distributors to retailers, installers and commercial contractors. We must all commit to supporting these programs, hiring graduates and mentoring them through their early careers.
Students who complete these programs have already shown initiative. They’ve invested in themselves and our industry. We owe it to them (and ourselves) to continue that investment by providing job opportunities and on-the-job training to deepen their skills and ensure retention.
This is our moment to come together and align our efforts. We’ve never built a structure like this before. But with each layer—awareness, training, credentials, mentorship and job placement—we are laying the foundation for a future that will sustain and grow the flooring industry for decades to come.
So, what’s it going to take? It’s going to take all of us demanding quality, committing to education and supporting the future workforce at every level. By working together we can build something truly transformational.
Support the FCEF today, so we can continue to support you. Visit Fcef.org.
Kaye Whitener is executive director of 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.
