Every two weeks, FCNews seeks out flooring retailers across the country to offer their advice on hot topics of the day. This week, we asked: What are you doing to help ease the installation crisis?
Here are their responses:
We have a good relationship with most schools in our county. We ask that any young man graduating high school who is interested in learning a trade to contact us. We can train them within 24 months to where they would have their own crew. Everyone in our company is on the lookout for responsible, hard-working [candidates].
—Ted Gregerson, Ted’s Floors & Beyond Anniston, Ala.
I am working with the FCEF and our local trade college to try to get a local flooring installation program off the ground here in Edmonton. It’s frightening seeing the statistics regarding the installer crisis. We’re hoping to see this program come to life here in Canada.—Rebecca Tonowski, BFC Flooring & Design Centre Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Locally we are working closely with our vocational school to educate students about a career in installation. We go into the school and conduct hands-on clinics in the spring. We also work with the instructors to hire students for summer help to try flooring installation, and recruit recent graduates for full-time employment.
—Jessica Fike Pheasant, Fike Bros Carpet One Floor & Home Selinsgrove, Pa.
We do all the training in-house, at our expense. We recruit them, start them on an hourly basis and eventually place each candidate with a veteran installer willing to take an apprentice.
—Tim Jacobi, Carpet One Floor & Home Hastings, Neb.
Ohio just approved millions of dollars in funding to allow employers to get reimbursed for training employees. This funding adds flooring installation to the list of approved trades; it gives unemployed individuals the ability to take an installation course at no charge. I am working on enrolling the first class of students
—Matt Wien, Marshall Flooring Mayfield Heights, Ohio
