St. Louis—The National Wood Flooring Association will launch a federally registered Wood Flooring Specialist Apprenticeship at the Wood Flooring Expo in Fort Worth, Texas, May 1-3. This new apprenticeship designation is designed to help NWFA members attract new skilled labor into the wood flooring industry.
“The skills gap is growing, and the pool of new workers coming into the wood flooring trade is scarce,” said Brett Miller, NWFA vice president of education and certification. “This new program will provide our members with a clear roadmap for developing a pipeline of new talent.”
The session at Expo will include a step-by-step plan for implementing the program and will provide information on potential funding for on-the-job training through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and GI Bill funding.
“This program is a game-changer for wood flooring,” said Michael Martin, NWFA president and CEO. “It provides the first real step forward in attracting new talent to our industry, but it also helps us to compete with other trades that are vying for the same limited talent pool. It helps us to level the playing field when recruiting.”
The program was officially approved during a signing ceremony with John Ladd, Administrator Office of Apprenticeship at the U.S. Department of Labor, in Washington D.C., on March 21.
Interested members are encouraged to attend an education session at the NWFA Expo on May 2, led by James (Dudley) Light, regional director at the USDOL/ETA/Office of Apprenticeship, and Stephanie Owen, NWFA education and member engagement director. Light has been affiliated with the Registered Apprenticeship system for 48 years and will share valuable tips on how to implement and maintain this program to help you grow your talent pool.
For more information, visit: nwfaexpo.org.