CHARLOTTE, N.C — Local carpentry contractors in Charlotte say they are in desperate need of highly trained and skilled workers.
Finding qualified carpentry workers in Charlotte is no easy task. Willis Carroll, the president of the contracting company Carroll Small Repairs, says despite the pandemic, he still has a lot of projects and several job openings.
“We have eight positions open, and we are still trying to fill them,” Carroll says.
He added that he has been trying to fill those positions for six months. He explained that qualified workers are aging out, and there are not enough people ready to fill the gaps. He said he has had to turn down jobs, because he didn’t have enough qualified workers.
“You just can’t get them,” Carroll says.
That's why Carroll's excited about a new training facility under construction in Charlotte. The 25,000 square foot building is nearly complete and is intended to prepare a local workforce of professional carpenters.
The Southeastern Carpenters Regional Council will oversee the new facility. Representative Mark Brown gave Spectrum News a tour of the building and says anyone who starts the program will be called an apprentice.
“We are in our shop area for our training center and this is where students can get hands-on experience with different fields,” Brown says. “Everything from welding, to concrete forms, to scaffolding and mill work.”
Each program takes three to four years to complete. The only prerequisite states those who apply must be 18 years old, but leaders are considering adding a high school program. Brown says it costs about $250 a year, but even that amount could get paid off pretty quickly. That's because apprentices can start working for contractors while they're going through the program.
“It’s a membership fee, but you earn that money back when you go to the field,” Brown says.
According to him, it’s a way to get a job without taking on a load of student debt. The goal is to spark an interest in a field in desperate need of workers.
“The thing that makes the training facility important in Charlotte is because it could take people and teach them the right way,” Carroll says. “It gives them the experience and skill set they need that they can go anywhere in the country and get a good decent paying job.”
Those interested in the apprenticeship program can apply online.
Skills taught there will include:
· Millwork and trim
· Metal Stud Framing
· Drywall
· Doors and Hardware
· Flooring
· Heavy Form / Concrete
· Scaffolding
· Leadership
· Jobsite communication
· Collaborative training with contractors, building owners, etc.