Hardwood Floors December 2018/January 2019

RESOURCES

Students pose for a photo during the Manufacturing Day event held at Vermont Natural Coatings in Hardwick, Vermont.

Impacting the Next Generation By Stephanie Owen

becoming proficient within our trade, and qualifying those within our trade through certifications. ATTRACTING NEW PEOPLE TO OUR INDUSTRY Manufacturing Day is the first Friday in October each year. NWFA has developed the framework for any manufacturer member to use to support Manufacturing Day. Members are encouraged to open their facility to local elementary, middle, and high school students to promote interest in our industry. Members can use hands-on demonstrations, facility tours, short presentations, giveaways, or whatever makes the most sense to capture the interest of the students coming through their facility. Junior Achievement USA provides regional events for any grade level. Members can promote the NWFA and our industry through any of the JA Biztown events geared toward different age groups or volunteer as a career speaker at a local school or JA chapter. Through Boy Scouts of America, the NWFA has developed a program for any member to use in helping local scouting

programs earn the Woodworking merit badge or build their Pinewood Derby cars.

The definition of having a skill is “the ability to do something well,” and the definition of a trade is “a skilled job, typically one requiring manual skills and special training.”The terms skilled tradesman, skilled worker, artisan, tradesman, and craftsman refer to individuals who have specialized training in a particular area of work. These areas of work may include skilled industrial trades, such as millwrights, riggers, and machinists; skilled service trades, such as automotive mechanics, chefs, and medical assistants; and skilled construction trades, such as carpenters, plumbers, and electricians. One thing that all skilled tradespeople have in common is that they have followed a path that has led them to learn their craft. One of the current issues all skilled trades have is getting people on the path to the trades. This has become known as the installation crisis or the labor shortage. During the last couple of years, the NWFA has been working on many programs that address this issue. Our primary focus has included getting young people excited about our industry, providing a clear path to

Cub Scouts build their Pinewood Derby cars during an NWFA sponsored event.

The NWFA is a member of ACTE (Association for Career and Technical Education), where we participate in annual Career Pavilion where infographics and career information are displayed for more than 4,000 attendees that include classroom teachers, counselors, and administrators. This is

84 hardwood floors www.hardwoodfloorsmag.com