The shortage of skilled workers in building trades, industrial, manufacturing and similar occupations is so significant in Indiana that it has captured the attention of Gov. Eric Holcomb, who has made growing apprenticeship programs one of his priorities. In March, he announced the creation of the Indiana Office of Apprenticeships and Work-Based Learning, housed under the state Department of Workforce Development, with the goal of skilling up working adults and training high school graduates who are not college bound to help fill some of Indiana’s approximately 80,000 open jobs.
Jack Laurie Group (JLG), the state’s largest provider of interior and flooring contracting services, is not immune to the problem.
“Students and young workers have come to believe many misconceptions about the construction industry—for example that it is not stable or does not provide a strong career path. It has been a challenge to educate people that there are all sorts of positions and opportunities, including management, planning and design work, and executive-level leadership,” says JLG Vice President of Operations Tom Postell.
“We’ve had to turn down projects simply because we could not find the labor to complete them,” he adds. “The labor shortage has a direct impact on our company’s revenue and growth.”
The recent addition of the Design-Build Public Works Projects statute to the Indiana code paved the way for JLG to create a merit shop flooring apprenticeship program. Previously, the locally owned company, which employs about 300 people, was required to use union labor for publicly funded jobs. The new statute opened the door for merit shop labor, so long as the workers are members or graduates of a bona fide apprenticeship program approved by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).
“Rather than waiting around just hoping for change, we decided to take action to help build our workforce of the future,” Postell says.
The process of creating a DOL-approved flooring apprenticeship program took JLG about six months. The firm had to put together a comprehensive plan and curriculum that included training materials, a syllabus and a class schedule—all in the structure that the DOL requires for bona fide programs.
Although JLG is responsible for the curriculum, training and testing, Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC) Indiana/Kentucky Chapter is the official program administrator with the DOL.
“ABC has worked very closely with us from the beginning, and the organization’s help has been invaluable. We follow ABC’s standard formatting for apprenticeships and submit all our program grades and reports to the organization for review,” Postell says.
ABC also leveraged a pre-existing relationship with Vincennes University whereby students enrolled in the apprenticeship program can attend the college to pursue an associate’s degree. Thanks to a grant from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, the college classes are free.
The apprenticeship curriculum is partially based on materials JLG purchased from the Flooring Contractors Association (FCICA), which translates very technical code information into a format that is easy to read and understand. Many of the program’s NCCER-certified instructors also have completed the FCICA’s Certified Installation Manager program.
JLG’s apprenticeship program launched in April 2017 with 10 students, with lab/classroom work being completed at the company’s commercial offices in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne.
“Many of our students started as helpers on flooring jobsites and are now working for us as installers. Many have hopes of moving into management one day,” Postell says. “They see this program as a way to increase their earning potential and advance their careers. Several of the students also were enticed by the chance to earn a free college degree, which is not something many contractors offer.”
Enrollment is now open for the fall 2018 semester. Interested students can call one of JLG’s hiring lines at (317) 245-6027 or (260) 564-2122.
“Eventually, we hope to start new semesters every fall and spring, leaving the summer months free for students to take college classes if they choose,” Postell says.
