Hardwood Floors December 2017/January 2018

By Anita Howard

Creating Industry Awareness THROUGH MANUFACTURING DAY

pneumatic nail guns, sanding machines, stains, and bu ng machines. Charles Bumpus, a Structural Systems/ Carpentry Instructor at Montgomery Central High School, who brought 34 students from his construction trades class, emphasized the importance of programs like these. “Our school’s construction trades program has been in place for six years now,” he said. “When it rst started, we had just 80 students enrolled. Now, we have 265, and we really only have room for 240. e interest and growth in the program have been phenomenal.” His students agree. Senior, Corey Moreland, shared that “four years of college is just too much money. I have friends who did that, and they got out in four years and still don’t have a job. at’s not for me.” With the skills he learned in school and guidance fromMr. Bumpus, Moreland has single-handedly taken on a renovation project in his mother’s home. “I’ve gu ed her bathroom,” he said, “taking it all the way down to the studs and foundation. I even busted out the concrete and moved the plumbing myself.” Mr. Bumpus beams with pride as he describes the work Moreland has done. “Corey has taken what he learned in our program and applied it to an actual working project. e people in our community have been very supportive, and almost

One of the issues frequently discussed among wood ooring professionals is the di culty of nding skilled labor. Social media forums are o en rife with complaints about people who claim to have the skills necessary to perform the jobs within our industry, only to nd that they barely have a working knowledge of how to use the most basic tools of our trade. e problem is pervasive and is not limited to just contractors. It is one that is experienced at all levels of the supply chain and is expected to get worse. e NWFA is working to address this issue by creating awareness about career opportunities available within the wood ooring industry, particularly with younger people. As part of this e ort, the NWFA recently partnered with Burns, Tennessee- based Middle TN Lumber, for its rst-ever Manufacturing Day. Manufacturing Day is a national celebration of modern manufacturing during which manufacturers invite members of their communities into their facilities to educate them about career opportunities and to improve public perceptions about jobs in manufacturing. Nearly 100 students and teachers from four area high schools participated in the event, which included a tour of Middle TN Lumber’s drying yard, kilns, sawmill, grading line, and ooring mill. Students also interacted with four hands-on ooring stations, which included learning to use

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

75