As the flooring industry continues to face one of the most significant workforce shortages in its history, 2025 became a defining year for the Floor Covering Education Foundation (FCEF). It was a year of scale, structure and strengthened partnerships—and most importantly, it was a year that proved what can happen when an industry rallies together with a shared mission. But what truly sets this year apart is not just what was accomplished, but rather what it has set in motion for 2026 and beyond.
Some highlights:
In 2025, FCEF’s national training footprint expanded more rapidly than ever. Building on earlier pilot programs and the momentum of federal WORC funding, we saw increased enrollment, new college partnerships and deeper alignment across carpet, resilient, hardwood and tile curriculum tracks. Through these efforts, entry-level training became more accessible, more consistent and more tightly connected to real employment pipelines. Colleges launched programs with stronger support systems, and FCEF’s instructor resources—from detailed guidebooks to hands-on assessments—created a new level of structure that schools and instructors have long needed.
Another major milestone this year was the strengthening of the instructor pipeline. The 2025 CFI Instructor Training in Dalton brought together a group of talented flooring professionals preparing to take the next step in their careers. By investing in instructor development, FCEF isn’t just filling classrooms today—it’s building the leadership base the industry will depend on for decades.
Yet the true story of 2025 goes beyond program numbers. It’s about people. It’s about the students who entered training uncertain of their future and finished with clear career direction. It’s about the retailers and installers who stepped forward to mentor, donate, support scholarships and help shape local training efforts. And it’s about communities—large and small—that now have access to skilled training that simply didn’t exist a few years ago.
This progress opens the door to the next phase: 2026, a year focused on expanding opportunity beyond entry-level installation. The industry has made it clear that while installers remain a critical need, flooring careers extend far beyond the tools. FCEF is now exploring elevated training tracks designed to support advancement into higher-level roles across the entire flooring ecosystem.
These future pathways can include advanced basic business, OSHA 10, installation specialties, project management, estimating and takeoff, showroom and retail training, operations and logistics, technical field support, sustainability roles and supervisory and leadership development. By broadening training opportunities, the industry can create long-term career ladders that attract new talent and retain experienced professionals who want to grow.
This vision reflects a simple truth: Flooring offers far more than a first job. It offers a career—and often, a lifetime of them. The work now is to build the structure that makes those pathways clear, attainable and supported.
If 2025 was the year FCEF scaled up, then 2026 will be the year we leap forward.
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.
