Hardwood Floors April/May 2017

RESOURCES

Addressing the Skilled Labor Shortage (Continued)

• GET INVOLVED WITH SKILLSUSA. SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers, and industries working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA helps each student excel. It provides educational programs, events, and competitions that support CTE in the nation’s classrooms. Learn more at SkillsUSA.org. • PARTNER WITH A LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL, COMMUNITY COLLEGE OR TECHNICAL SCHOOL. Lend your expertise and guidance in curriculum development, internships, or invite a teacher in during the summer for a crash course in industry-related training and technology that they can bring back to the classroom. Use the Hardwood Forest Foundation’s “Truth About Trees” program to present in elementary schools about trees, forestry, and conservation. Learn more at hardwoodforest. org/truth-about-trees. • VOLUNTEER WITH NWFA TO BE A MEMBER COMPANY THAT WILL ACCEPT APPRENTICES. NWFA is currently looking for volunteer companies that will hire apprentices to help NWFA develop best practices and build a toolkit for other members to use. • DONATE TO THE NWFA EDUCATION AND RESEARCH FOUNDATION (NERF) SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. This program was established to help educate future generations of wood flooring professionals, and you can participate by contributing to fund scholarships. There are three different scholarship funds, each with different contribution levels. Learn more at nwfa.org/scholarships. CERTIFICATION. Become involved in NWFA schools as a way to mentor the next generation of wood flooring professionals and help ensure their expertise lives on through them. Marian Wright Edelman once said, “We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily difference we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.” Every action taken, regardless of how small, adds up over time. Uniting as an industry can make a tremendous impact. Learn more about the above initiatives by visiting nwfa.org or calling 800.422.4556. Stephanie Owen is Education Director at the National Wood Flooring Association in St. Louis. She can be reached at stephanie. owen@nwfa.org. • PROVIDE A CAREER PATH FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES USING NWFA UNIVERSITY AND HANDS-ON CLASSES TO PURSUE

• NATIONAL AFFILIATE MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR CAREER & TECHNICAL EDUCATION. NWFA will participate in a Career Pavilion at the annual Association for Career & Technical Education show in December 2017. The show brings 5,000 CTE professionals together from across the county. Membership also will grow connections and introductions to CTE centers across the country and can be used as an audience for an apprenticeship program. • SKILLSUSA EVENT. NWFA will attend a SkillsUSA event in June to observe and work to create a wood flooring competition. The process for establishing a wood competition includes starting with a local event. SkillsUSA will measure success to see if it warrants a grander stage at the regional and national level. • MANUFACTURING DAY. NWFA is currently working with Middle Tennessee Lumber to participate in Manufacturing Day in October 2017. The team is working to build a tool kit that members can take into markets/ communities across the country. Manufacturing Day is a national initiative; details can be found at mfgday.com. Efforts to interest the younger generation in careers in the wood flooring industry must also come from our members, including the suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and others whose companies will be able to grow successfully in the coming decades if there is a pool of applicants from which to draw. The following are some suggestions that you can implement to help the cause: • MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. Develop a relationship with your area’s government representatives and don’t be shy about letting them know what your company contributes to the local economy in terms of jobs and projects. Supply them with a clear “ask” to support CTE in schools. Also, share your needs when it comes to filling positions. NWFA has resources available at nwfa.org. To find your local representatives, visit House.gov and Senate.gov.

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