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Richard Christianson

How WCA’s Credentialing Program Maps Career Paths for Woodworking Pros

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Photo by Delia Palmisano

According to a 2021 study conducted by Woodworking Network and the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America, nearly three-quarters (73.8%) of  participating woodworking representatives indicated it is “very challenging” to hire qualified workers for their manufacturing operations. What’s more, most (57.9%) said the challenge to find and hire good help is “much more challenging” than three years before.

We are willing to wager that hiring issues remain the woodworking industry’s number one concern. The skilled worker shortage is a universal and perpetual problem for all of the skilled trades that promises to only worsen as more Baby Boomers retire.

Knowing that the woodworking industry’s skills gap would not fix itself, the Architectural Woodwork Institute and U.S. Forest Service partnered to found the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America in 2007. The overarching goals of the not-for-profit WCA are to elevate woodworking as a profession, support workforce development through the creation of skill standards, and create career paths based on the Passport credentialing program recognized throughout the U.S. and Canada. WCA credentials encompass measurable skill standards for more than 240 woodworking operations and machines ranging from accurately reading a tape measure and safely setting up and using a table saw through spray finishing and operating a CNC router.

Creating Career Pathways
How can the woodworking industry benefit from a robust, nationally-recognized credentialing program?

For a clue, take a look at how well-established credentialing programs are helping the automotive, metalworking and welding industries recruit, train and retain skilled workers. And keep in mind that these are but three skilled-job industries with which wood product companies compete for qualified help.

  • Established in 1972, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence administers one of the best-known credentialing programs. More than a quarter million ASE technicians and mechanics are employed at dealer and independent auto clinics. In addition to elevating career opportunities for auto care professionals, shops that embrace ASE certification can promote that their mechanics are ASE certified to earn the trust and business of consumers.
  • The National Institute for Metalworking Skills was formed in 1994 to establish industry skill standards, certify individual skills against the standards, and accredit training programs meeting NIMS quality requirements. NIMS has developed skills standards for everything from machining through industrial maintenance. More than 150,000 credentials have been issued in precision metalworking and industrial maintenance disciplines.
  • The American Welding Society offers nine different certification categories from inspectors and supervisors to engineers and fabricators. Since its introduction in 1976, more than 100,000 welding inspector certifications alone have been awarded.

In comparison, the WCA has now issued more than 6,000 Passport credentials, a portable, personal permanent record documenting each holder’s record of woodworking skill achievements. The WCA’s issuance of Passports is accelerating. More than 1,400 were issued in 2022. More than 950 Passports have been issued so far this year.

Setting the Standard of Professionalism
No matter what the occupation, the success of an industry-developed and validated credentialing program hinges on the buy-in of employees and employers alike. Some of the shared attributes of most credentialing programs for the skilled trades, include:

  • Certified professionals receive the respect and recognition they deserve for their commitment to professional development. Their credentials make them more marketable to find a job and more desirable for companies to want to hire them.
  • Employers can incorporate industry skill standards to help frame their training programs and develop incentive programs based on employees successfully achieving new skills. This creates a tool that can be used both for recruitment and retention.
  • Because they are based on industry-accepted standards, the individual’s credentials are transferrable from one employer to the next.
  • Professional credential programs are promoted to high schools and postsecondary CTE programs to help make their curricula more relevant in preparing students for successful careers in modern-day manufacturing.

The Training Dilemma
The Woodworking Network/WCA workforce study found that only 21.2% of companies have a written training procedures while 40.4% have no formal training program at all. The initial thrust of the WCA’s outreach has been working with high school and postsecondary woodworking programs to adopt the WCA credentialing programs to teach students how to safely and efficiently operate woodworking eqiupment to industry-vetted skill standards. More recently, the WCA has looked to bring more woodworking companies on board as MANufacturing members.

The bottom line is that woodworking employers want people who are dependable, trainable and committed. On the other side of the coin, employees want to be fairly compensated and have opportunities to advance their careers as payback for committing their time and energy to become more skilled and productive woodworkers.

The WCA, with its skill standards and Passport credential program firmly in place, has set the foundation to bring the two sides together so that the woodworking industry can develop and grow a skilled workforce. We encourage everyone who has a stake in the long-term health and prosperity of this time-honored vocation to lift up the hood and take a closer look at what the WCA has to offer.

Learn more about the WCA’s Passport credential program.

Richard Christianson

WCA Experiences a Year of Accelerated Growth

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The cumlative total of Passport credentials issued by the WCA since its inception surpassed 5,000 this year.

LINCOLN, Neb. – 2022 was a banner year for the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America.

The numbers help tell the story.

Through the first 11 months of the year, the WCA:

  • Enrolled 1,419 new candidates in the WCA Passport Credentialing program, nearly twice as many as were enrolled in 2021. More than 5,000 Passports have been issued since the program was created.
  • Enrolled 60 new schools as EDUcation™ members bringing the total to 160.
  • Enrolled eight new woodworking companies as MANufacturing™ members bringing the total to 28.
  • Added 35 woodworking instructors as Accredited Skill Evaluators, using the online training platform that was launched last year.

Chris Hedges goes over design details with the first students of Hocking College’s Cabinetmaking program Zane Drebus and Austin Ward. Hocking College is one of 60 high schools and postsecondary woodworking programs to join the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America in 2022.

In addition, WCA created the new Core credentialing program to recognize the accomplishments of more serious-minded woodworking students who expand their skill sets and tackle more challenging projects beyond the Sawblade Certification requirements.

WCA presented a well-attended half-day workshop at the International Woodworking Fair focused on helping woodworking companies to establish or enhance in-house training programs. This followed up a similar program the WCA conducted at the 2021 AWFS Fair.

WCA continued its partnership with the annual SkillsUSA Cabinetmaking competition on the national and state levels.

Finally, WCA continued to expanded its industry out-reach through news releases and the quarterly Pathways newsletter.

Looking ahead to 2023, the WCA plans to place more emphasis on developing new credentialing programs for the woodworking industry to rival professional certification programs in metal working, automotive, welding and other skilled trades. The overarching goal is to create viable career pathways in woodworking.

“As a self-funded 501c not-for-profit organization, we would not be able to go the extra mile without the generous support of our industry partners and sponsors,” said WCA President Scott Nelson. “Everyone knows that U.S. and Canadian wood products companies our desperate to find qualified candidates. I think the WCA’s growth is a clear indicator that more and more industry players are viewing our programs as a valuable resource to help recruit, train, and retain great employees.”

WCA publicly thanks each of the following organizations and companies for their fantastic financial support since Jan. 1, 2021.

  • 2021 AWFS Fair Silent Auction
  • 2022 International Woodworking Fair Silent Auction
  • Sherwin-Williams for donating $5,000 beyond the company’s annual Gold Sponsorship

2021-22 Gold Sponsors
Air Handling Systems ● AWI Quality Certification Program ● Blum ● Cantek America ● Daniels-Olsen/Metro Hardwoods ● Diamond Vogel ● Friulmac USA ● KCD Software ● Kerfkore ● M.L. Campbell ● Newman Machine ● NBMDA ● PantoRouter ● Rev-A-Shelf ● Roseburg Forest Products ● Safety Speed Manufacturing ● SawStop ● SCM Group USA ● Sherwin-Williams ● ShopBot Tools ● Smartech ● Stiles Machinery ● Thermwood ● Weinig USA ● WoodEd Table by Mimbus ● Woodworking Network ● Würth Group NA

2021-22 Silver Sponsors
Accu-Router ● Aiken Controls ● Bessey Group ● Black Bros. ● Brookhuis America ● C.R. Onsrud ● Castle USA ● Colonial Saw ● Daubert Chemical ● Deerwood Fasteners ● Eagle Mouldings ● GDP Guhdo ● Gemini-Coatings ● Hafele America ● IMA-Schelling ● Kreg Tool ● Leitz Tooling ● PaintLine ● Sorrelli Woodwork Consultants ● Super Thin Saws ● WDLusk Consulting ● Weima America

Learn more about WCA membership and sponsorship oppotunities.

About the Woodwork Career Alliance
The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America was founded in 2007 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and is governed by a volunteer board of directors. The WCA’s mission is to develop and administer a unified set of Skill Standards for the wood products industry. Since 2011, WCA has developed observable and measurable performance standards and assessments for more than 300 woodworking machine operations. In addition, WCA has issued over 5,000 Passport credentials, a portable, personal permanent record documenting each holder’s record of woodworking skill achievements. More than 160 high schools and post-secondary schools throughout North America are WCA EDUcation™ members and a growing number of woodworking companies have joined the WCA as MANufacturing™ members. To learn more about the WCA and how to get involved with its programs, including sponsorship opportunities, visit WoodworkCareer.org.

Richard Christianson

WCA Names Scholarship Fund in Honor of Greg Heuer

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Colleagues laud Heuer for his vision, dedication and leadership to create the WCA’s credentialling system.

NELLYSVILLE, Va. – As a fitting tribute to one of its most influential founding fathers, the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America announced the renaming of its teacher financial aid program to the Greg Heuer EDUcation Scholarship Fund.

Heuer, secretary of the WCA Board of Directors since its inception in 2007 and one of the first WCA chief skill evaluators, recently retired from the board. He is credited by his colleagues for being the driving force that led to the development of the WCA Skill Standards and Passport credentialling system. Together, the Skill Standards and Passport form the foundation of new and evolving WCA programs used by a growing number of schools and wood products companies to teach and train the next generation of woodworking professionals.

The scholarship fund benefits WCA EDUcation member schools. Woodworking instructors can apply for financial aid to help defray the cost of travel to industry events like the International Woodworking Fair or to cover the WCA membership fees for their students.

Greg and Linda Heuer

“The WCA Board of Directors chose to rename our scholarship fund The Greg Heuer EDUucation Scholarship Fund in honor of Greg’s lifetime of work dedicated to educating those of us within the woodworking industry,” said Scott Nelson, WCA president. “Greg has always been an advocate for the need of skill standards in the industry. He worked tirelessly to help create the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America and see his vision come to fruition.”

Heuer was a staff member of the Architectural Woodwork Institute (AWI) when he got involved with the WCA on the ground floor. During his 29-year career with the AWI, Heuer was especially instrumental with helping update the AWI’s Quality Standards. That experience, coupled with his prior career running an architectural woodworking company, made him uniquely qualified to lead the development of WCA’s consensus standards. He took the lead to create a wiki that allowed members of the WCA Skill Standards team across North America to collaborate online.

“Without Greg Heuer, the WCA wouldn’t exist!” said Patrick Molzahn, director of the Cabinetmaking and Millwork program at Madison College, and a founding board member of the WCA. “His vision and leadership early on helped shape this organization. We were able to pull together an impressive set of standards on a shoestring budget by utilizing a wiki. In a post-Covid world, we take online collaboration as routine. However, back in 2007, the world was a much different place. With Greg spearheading the charge, we accomplished this task with minimal face-to-face meetings, creating a set of standards for the wood industry at about one-tenth of the cost compared to the standards for the metal industry. Greg’s ability to leverage technology was just one of his many skills.”

“It’s hard to believe the WCA would be as successful as it is today without Greg’s guidance and dedication early on,” added Greg Larson, vice president of the WCA. “His ability to keep us on track, inspire us during our brainstorming sessions, and his relentless attention to detail certainly helped guarantee our success. I will always remember how he pushed us during our skill standard writing sessions to create the most concise and usable standards we could; I can’t imagine where we’d be today without Greg’s early support and hard work.”

Greg Heuer, one of the original WCA chief evaluators, leads a training workshop for woodworking instructors aspiring to become accredited skill evaluators.

Duane Griffiths, another founding member of the WCA board of directors, also gave high praise to Heuer for his indispensable contributions to the WCA. “Without a doubt, Greg has been one of the major leaders in WCA. Through his numerous contacts and hard work, he has advanced the organization. When individuals think of WCA they think of Greg.”

For his part, Heuer said he is humbled to have the “ongoing fund associated with my name.”

“Years ago, I felt my legacy to our industry would be the AWI Quality Standards. That turned out not to be the case. In fact, I couldn’t be more proud and grateful that my legacy to our industry includes the founding and nurturing of the Woodwork Career Alliance. This trade/craft has given so much to me and our family. The feeling that I may have returned a small portion of those gifts is heartwarming.”

Heuer added that he has been gratified to played an active part in helping a growing number of woodworking teachers join the WCA. “Influencing young people to think of our industry as a career, more than just a job, and showing them the pathways to success is vital for the continuation of woodwork manufacturing in North America. I think the future is bright and the possibilities are endless. I hope we can effectively track the young people who earn credentials in their careers. I hope we can tell success stories of WCA folks who rise to their full potential, contribute to their companies, and take personal pride in being practitioners of our trade.”

 

Richard Christianson

29 High Schools Join Woodwork Career Alliance

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Students of Hononegah High School pose with their fall semester woodworking projects.

Nellysford, VA – The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America welcomes 29 high school woodworking programs as EDUcation™ members for the 2019-20 academic year.

The 29 new EDU members include 13 schools in Wisconsin, four each in North Carolina and Illinois, and two in California. The other six schools are located in Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Utah, Washington and Alberta, Canada.

With the newly added schools, WCA EDU membership now totals more than 130 in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to high school woodshops, EDU membership includes college woodworking programs and other career technical education institutions.

EDU member programs are licensed to use the WCA Woodworking Skill Standards and Passport credentialing program recognized throughout North America. Other EDU member benefits include access to training materials and videos, plus free and exclusive discounts for woodshop necessities through the WCA Essentials Benefit Package.

Chadrick Parrott, who has been teaching woodworking classes for 12 years, including the last seven at Indian Valley High School of Gnadenhutten, OH, said he chose to join the WCA “to formalize my curriculum to align with current industry standards. I hope to improve our curriculum and develop relationships with other teachers and industry professionals.”

Jason Glodowski, who instructs about 50 students each year at Hononegeh High School in Rockton, IL, said, “I decided to join the WCA because of the national certification that students can obtain as well as the standardized nationally recognized assessments in the program. I’m hoping my local business partners recognize and value my certified students in the hiring process. And I’m also hoping that it brings more local and state recognition to my program, in regards to level of quality and what is to be expected of my students.” Glodowski noted that Hononegeh High School plans to add a second level cabinetry class.

“We’re pleased to welcome these new EDU members to the WCA,” said Scott Nelson, WCA president. “These schools are demonstrating their commitment to making sure their woodworking programs are in line with industry’s needs for candidates who have been trained to safely operate equipment and have demonstrated the aptitude to continue growing their woodworking skills.”

The full list of new WCA EDU member high schools includes:

Arroyo High School, El Monte, CA
Bartlett Yancey High School, Yanceyville, NC
Battle Ground High School, Brush Prairie, WA
Beloit Memorial High School, Beloit, WI
Bertie High School, Windsor, NC
Crosby-Ironton High School, Crosby, MN
D.C. Everest High School, Schofield, WI
Dakota High School, Dakota, IL
F. J. Turner High School, Beloit, WI
Fennimore High School, Fennimore, WI
Franklin High School, Franklin, WI
Hillcrest High School, Midvale, UT
Hononegah Community School, Rockton, IL
Indian Valley High School, Gnadenhutten, OH
Jefferson High School, Jefferson, WI
Johns A. Holmes High School, Edenton, NC
Kettle Moraine High School, Wales, WI
Lord Beaverbrook High School, Calgary, AB
Louisburg High School, Franklinton, NC
Mukwonago High School, Mukwonago, WI
Oregon High School, Oregon, WI
Palmyra-Eagle High School, Palmyra, WI
Pecatonica High School, Pecatonica, IL
Ridgewood High School, Norridge, IL
San Marcos High School, Santa Barbara, CA
South Milwaukee High School, South Milwaukee, WI
Spring Creek High School, Spring Creek, NV
Stoughton High School, Stoughton, WI
West High School, Wauwatosa, WI

About the Woodwork Career Alliance
The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America was founded in 2007 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and is governed by a volunteer board of directors. The WCA’s mission is to develop and administer a unified set of Skill Standards for the wood products industry. Since 2011, WCA has developed observable and measurable performance standards and assessments for more than 300 woodworking machine operations. In addition, WCA has issued more than 2,500 credentials, a portable, personal permanent record documenting each holder’s record of woodworking skill achievements. More than 130 high schools and post-secondary schools throughout North America are WCA EDUcation™ members and a growing number of woodworking companies have joined the WCA as MANufacturing™ members. To learn more about the WCA and how to get involved with its programs, including sponsorship opportunities, visit WoodworkCareer.org.

Richard Christianson

WCA Updates Passport Credentials

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The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America has updated its Passport with the latest information about the WCA’s credentialing program and how it works.

The updated Passport includes:

  • Overview of the WCA’s more than 300 woodworking skill standards from layout to finishing.
  • Explanation of certification levels beginning with the Sawblade Certificate for students and Green Certificate for woodworking professionals through , Blue, Red Gold and ultimately Diamond.
  • Summary of membership categories for school woodworking programs, wood product manufacturers and individuals.
  • Concise history of the WCA.

View the newly designed Passport info.

 

 

Richard Christianson

Jefferson Millwork Woodworker Becomes First Pro to Earn WCA Red Credential

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Richard Memory, apprentice woodworker at Jefferson Millwork & Design, with the fabric rack he designed and fabricated for his WCA red credential project.

STERLING, Va. – Richard Memory, an apprentice woodworker at Jefferson Millwork & Design, was recently awarded the red credential from the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America. He is the first professional woodworker to achieve the red credential, the third level of the WCA’s credentialing Passport program.

Memory, who previously earned his green and blue WCA credentials at Jefferson Millwork, successfully completed evaluation testing on a variety of woodworking operations and designed and made a fabric storage rack to meet the project requirement for the red credential. He has now amassed more than 120 tool points, all of which are documented in the online registry maintained by the WCA.

“I’m very honored and pretty proud of this achievement,” Memory said. “I definitely like the structured approach of the WCA program. It sets measurable objectives that allow me to point to actual things I can say I have done, especially when it comes to the fabric rack that I built for the shop. It’s also great the way Jefferson has structured raises for me based on growing my credentials.”

Chuck Buck, shop foreman of Jefferson Millwork, a member of the Architectural Woodwork Institute, lauded Memory for his dedication to learning new skills and the progress he has made since he began participating in the company’s apprentice woodworker program.

“I guided Richard through removing all guides and bearings,” Buck said. “He cleaned, inspected and replaced bearings as needed. He learned how to choose the proper blade and install it correctly including adjusting it to proper blade tension, adjusting the camber to seat the blade properly, and setting all of the guides and bearings to proper alignment. By the time he completed the skill assessments for the bandsaw, he had a better understanding and respect for the versatility of this machine.”

Buck said Jefferson Millwork began structuring its apprenticeship program around the WCA’s industry-wide recognized skill standards just over two years ago. “I honestly remember going into this being a little skeptical,” said Buck, who supervises a crew of 20 production employees. “I was worried it was going to be a time dissolver for me. Instead, I found that using the WCA skill standards and credentialing system has really helped me evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of individual employees. Because the skill standards are written out, it allows me to focus my concentration on training and evaluating the skills of individual employees. I don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”

“When Richard completes his gold credential, he will begin earning a bench mechanic wage,” Buck added. “It’s a win-win for the both the employee and the company.”

Richard Memory poses with his WCA red credential certificate and Chuck Buck, shop foreman at Jefferson Millwork & Design.

Memory said he is motivated to go for his gold credential and now looks at woodworking as a career instead of just as a job. “I appreciate the aggregate skills I have learned about different types of machines and woodworking in general. It has made me more confident to do things on my own. I’ve even taken up woodworking as a hobby. It’s suddenly a fulfilling and interesting thing to do.”

Scott Nelson, president of the WCA, applauded Memory for his achievement and Jefferson Millwork for being an early adopter of the WCA’s credentialing Passport program. “I want to congratulate Richard for being the first woodworking professional to earn the red credential and thank Jefferson Millwork for making it happen,” Nelson said. “Jefferson was one of the first companies to sign up as a MANufacturing member when we created that category a few years ago. Hopefully other woodworking companies will take note and see the benefits of integrating the WCA skill standards and credentialing program to not only train, but retain employees by offering them a pathway to rewarding woodworking careers.”

###

About the Woodwork Career Alliance
The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America was founded in 2007 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and is governed by a volunteer board of directors. The WCA’s mission is to develop and administer a unified set of Skill Standards for the wood products industry. Since 2011, WCA has developed observable and measurable performance standards and assessments for more than 300 woodworking machine operations. In addition, WCA has issued more than 2,500 credentials, a portable, personal permanent record documenting each holder’s record of woodworking skill achievements. More than 100 high schools and post-secondary schools throughout North America are WCA EDUcation™ members and a growing number of woodworking companies have joined the WCA as MANufacturing members. To learn more about the WCA and how to get involved with its programs, including sponsorship opportunities, visit WoodworkCareer.org.

Richard Christianson

WCA: Setting the Standard for Professional Woodworkers

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How the Woodwork Career Alliance’s credential Passport program can turn a mere job into a rewarding career.

Assemble 10 randomly selected wood product executives into a room and ask, “What is your company’s number one concern?” Odds are at least nine of them will respond, “Finding productive woodworkers.”

The skilled worker shortage is a universal and perpetual problem that promises to only get worse as more Baby Boomers retire.

Knowing that the woodworking industry’s skills gap would not fix itself, the Architectural Woodwork Institute and U.S. Forest Service partnered to found the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America. The overarching goals of the not-for-profit WCA are to elevate woodworking as a profession, support workforce development through the creation of skill standards and create career paths based on a credential Passport program recognized throughout the U.S. and Canada. WCA credentials now encompass measurable skill standards for more than 240 woodworking operations and machines ranging from accurately reading a tape measure through operating a CNC router.

Lessons Learned
How can the woodworking industry benefit from a robust, nationally-recognized credentialing program?

For a clue, take a look at how well-established credentialing programs are helping the automotive, metalworking and welding industries recruit, train and retain skilled workers. And keep in mind that these are but three skilled-job industries with which wood product companies compete for qualified help.

  • Established in 1972, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence administers one of the best-known credentialing programs. More than a quarter million ASE technicians and mechanics are employed at dealer and independent auto clinics. In addition to elevating career opportunities for auto care professionals, shops that embrace ASE certification can promote that their mechanics are ASE certified to earn the trust and business of consumers.
  • The National Institute for Metalworking Skills was formed in 1994 to establish industry skill standards, certify individual skills against the standards, and accredit training programs meeting NIMS quality requirements. NIMS has developed skills standards for everything from machining through industrial maintenance. More than 120,000 credentials have been issued in precision metalworking and industrial maintenance disciplines.
  • The American Welding Society offers nine different certification categories from inspectors and supervisors to engineers and fabricators. Since its introduction in 1976, more than
    100,000 welding inspector certifications alone have been awarded.

Setting Standards Forges Career Paths
No matter what the occupation, the success of an industry-developed and validated credentialing program hinges on the buy-in of employees and employers alike. Some of the shared attributes of most credentialing programs for the skilled trades, include:

  • Certified professionals receive the respect and recognition they deserve for their commitment to professional development. Their credentials make them more marketable to find a job and more desirable for companies to want to hire them.
  • Employers can incorporate industry skill standards to help frame their training programs and develop incentive programs based on employees successfully achieving new skills. This creates a tool that can be used both for recruitment and retention.
  • Because they are based on industry-accepted standards, the individual’s credentials are transferrable from one employer to the next.
  • Professional credential programs are promoted to high schools and postsecondary CTE programs to help make their curricula more relevant in preparing students for successful careers in modern-day manufacturing.

Chicken-and-Egg Dilemma
For the moment, the woodworking industry faces the classic chicken-and-egg dilemma. Woodworking employers want people who are dependable, trainable and committed. Employees want to be fairly compensated and have opportunities to advance their careers as payback for committing to become more productive woodworkers.

The WCA, with its skill standards and credential Passport program firmly in place, has set the foundation to bring the two sides together so that the woodworking industry can develop and grow a skilled workforce. We encourage everyone who has a stake in the long-term health and prosperity of this time-honored vocation to lift up the hood and take a closer look at what the WCA has to offer.

Learn more about the WCA’s credential Passport program.

Richard Christianson

Award-Winning Program Trains Under-Employed Adults for Woodworking Careers

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Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Greater West Town Training Partnership has helped prepare 900 people for jobs
in the greater Chicagoland woodworking industry.

Students learn various construction techniques making a series of small upper cabinets.

The Greater West Town Training Partnership (GWTP) of Chicago is one of the more unique EDUcation™ members of the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America. The program aims to link the education and training of disadvantaged area residents with economic development efforts and workforce needs of local businesses. 

Since being established 25 years ago, the GWTP has trained and placed some 900 low-income adults with jobs at local woodworking businesses. In recent years, the GWTP has issued a WCA Passport to each of its graduating students. The Passport is the student’s personal record of the woodworking skills he or she has successfully demonstrated during the credential evaluation process.

Doug Rappe, program coordinator and a WCA accredited skills evaluator, has been involved with GWTP since its inception. “Conveniently this program was just starting up as I got back from serving with the Peace Corps teaching woodworking in rural Sierra Leone,” Rappe says.  “I applied and 25 years later, here I am.”

In recognition of his long-standing dedication to workforce development, the Woodworking Machinery Industry Association honored Rappe with the 2014 Educator of the Year Award.

Program Is Free, But Not Easy
GWTP is part of the Greater West Town Community Development Project, a not-for-profit entity that gets its funding from a variety of public agencies and charitable foundations. In addition to woodworking, GWTP offers a hands-on shipping and receiving training program. The two training programs each occupy space in a 55,000-square-foot facility that formerly housed an envelope manufacturer. The building was extensively renovated prior to GWTP moving into it in 2010.

A Weeke Vantech is the centerpiece technology of GWTP’s woodshop.

There is no cost for students to attend the training programs provided they meet the qualifications. “Typically, anyone who is receiving unemployment or some other kind of public benefit can qualify for the program,” Rappe says. “Once we have someone’s interest, we want them to come out to visit us and see the program because when they see it they understand how real it is. They can see the projects that are being made and ask staff and students questions.”

In addition to substantiating their financial need, applicants have to pass a drug test and demonstrate basic math and language skills.

“We really want to make sure that our students are ready to succeed when they graduate,” Rappe says. “I tell them up front that we’re going to give them a lot of hard work to do. This is not open shop time. We make sure they understand right away that they are going to go through this very rigid curriculum and projects. At the end, we’re counting on them taking a job.

“This is almost like a backdoor into the industry that very few people know about or have access to,” Rappe adds. “There is no other place in the Chicago area where you can get this quick, intensive hands-on experience with real up-to-date equipment.”

The centerpiece of GWTP’s well-equipped woodshop is a Weeke Vantech CNC nesting router. “We’re fortunate that over the years our agency has managed things very conservatively so that when we needed to invest in equipment the money was there,” Rappe says. 

Overview of the GWTP Program
The GWTP program typically has up to 12 students per each 15-week session. Students attend class seven hours a day, five days a week. In addition to learning woodworking skills in the shop, students attend classes to learn how to read blueprints, strengthen their math skills and software programming.

Students are given more autonomy on machines after they demonstrate knowing safety rules.

the shop, safety is paramount, especially considering that nearly all of the students have no or little woodworking experience. “We have to get people confident to operate equipment quickly,” Rappe says. “Our safety curriculum revolves around a series of quizzes about the safe operation of each machine. Our students are always very closely supervised but over time they get more autonomy to operate a machine.”

During their first four weeks in the shop, students learn about different wood construction methods by making a series of four small upper cabinet boxes.

“The dimensions and materials for each box are identical. What we change is the type of construction starting with staples and screws, then plate joiner, pocket screws and CNC dowel construction,” Rappe says. “The goal is to give them success right away by making a physical project but also covering a lot of ground without going off in too many directions.”

With each succeeding box, students add new skills like print reading and applying math needed to develop a cut list. “Of course, they learn the technical skills with the tools,” Rappe says. “They typically start with precut parts for the first box. They do some cutting for the second box. Then they cut all the material for the third box and generate all of the material and parts for the next class with box four.”

“The class projects vary, but they are all designed to cover all of the basic equipment: table saw, jointer, shaper and planer,” Rappe says. Students also get exposed to working with a variety of materials including composite panels, wood, and solid surface materials. “Solid surface is great for helping them learn how to use hand-held routers and polishers. My strategy when I think about adding anything to the curriculum is how does it create the most value for our students and their future employers. We don’t want to teach skills that nobody needs.”

“We’re trying more and more to introduce technology sooner so that we can give them more time with the CNC,” Rappe adds. “As an advanced skill it would be easy to save if for the end but we understand that our students can graduate and go to work at any level with a CNC machine. They might be just an operator loading and unloading parts, an intermediate operator who is loading programs and loading parts or someone who is creating programs and editing them.”

Nearly every student who completes the 15-week training program graduates. “Essentially if someone is here every day and working to the best of their ability, then our commitment is to help them get a job,” Rappe says. “If they struggle with certain machines, then we find them an appropriate job. If they are the top their class and they aced everything, then we are going to find them an appropriate job at that level, too. We don’t leave anybody behind. There are employers who happily hire them knowing what they are getting.”

“One of the biggest stumbling blocks that prevents people from making it through the program is organizing their life around it,” Rappe adds. “This is a big-time commitment. It’s 35 hours a week and we demand punctuality and attendance. Probably the number one reason for someone getting separated from the program is they just can’t show up.”

Doug Rappe, who has been the lead instructor of the GWTP for 25 years, fully embraces the Woodwork Career Alliance’s skill standards and credential Passport program.

Proud Member of the WCA
GWTP boasts its membership with the WCA on its website. In addition to receiving a diploma, GWTP grads leave the program with a WCA Passport loaded with points for each skill they have demonstrated through the evaluation process.

“We are trying more and more to align our curriculum with the Woodwork Career Alliance skill standards,” Rappe says. “They are a great teaching tool. We are able to point to a nationally recognized group that says this is the way something is supposed to be done. This is how you know it’s right.

“I think that our students know that while it’s not a ticket to a job, the credentials are another important recognition of their achievement,” Rappe continues. “That in itself is a big deal.”

Being a WCA EDUcation-member also is important to making a favorable impression on the program’s funders. “Being a non-for-profit, it really helps to be part of an industry standard organization. I know that it is a huge deal in the metal working industry and over time I think woodworking employers will come to recognize the WCA credentials more and more.”

“Ultimately what gets me coming back year after year is seeing our students go to work in an industry that I love,” Rappe says. “Seeing them succeed and knowing that Great West Town has helped teach them skills and achieve a career is extremely rewarding.”

Learn more about the Greater West Town Training Partnership.

 

Richard Christianson

Woodwork Career Alliance Offers New Training Tool Kit

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Online resources can be used to help establish training programs in the classroom or on the shop floor.

Nellysford, VA – April 2, 2018 –  The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America now offers a treasure trove of tools for training students and entry-level woodworkers. Unlimited access to the online vault of training resources is a valuable new benefit that comes with the $250 annual fee for EDUcation™ and MANufacturing™ membership in the WCA.

While most of the training tools were developed to help high school woodworking instructors implement the WCA’s Sawblade credential program, woodworking businesses can readily adapt them to address their specific training needs.

“Developing a structured program for training new hires from scratch is both time consuming and costly, especially for small shops,” said Patrick Molzahn, director of the Cabinet & Millwork program at Madison College in Madison, WI. “Businesses can use the WCA’s sawblade credential program and resources to train someone who is new or has limited woodworking experience on some of the most basic, yet important fundamentals of woodworking. It’s $250 well-spent.”

Each of the training modules includes a step-by-step learning plan and corresponding learning tools. For example, the learning plan for operating a table saw covers recommended reading assignments, instructional videos, and a checklist of saw safety, key parts and functions. The learning plan also features a series of table saw operator activities such as tapering, beveling and mitering. Rounding out the table saw module are evaluation tools for assessing the quality of the cuts. (Watch sample video: Tapering on a Table Saw.)

Other training modules available to WCA members include:

  • Layout and Measurement;
  • Milling;
  • Shaping;
  • Boring; and
  • Sanding.

“We plan to add new resources as often as possible,” Molzahn said. “We welcome contributions from industry, academia and others who are willing to help us build out our library.”

The training resources were detailed in a recent webinar presented by the Association of Woodworking & Furnishing Suppliers. Molzahn and Bert Christensen, woodworking instructor at Westosha Central High School of Salem, WI, discussed how they utilize the online tools in their respective programs to credential students to WCA skill standards. Click here, to watch the webinar on demand.

To learn more about the benefits of becoming a member of the Woodwork Career Alliance, visit WooodworkCareer.org.

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About the Woodwork Career Alliance
The Woodwork Career Alliance of North America was founded in 2007 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and is governed by a volunteer board of directors. The WCA’s mission is to develop and administer a unified set of Skill Standards for the wood products industry. Since 2011, WCA has developed observable and measurable performance standards and assessments for more than 240 woodworking machine operations. In addition, WCA has issued more than 1,600 Passports, a portable, personal permanent record documenting each holder’s record of achievements as a woodworking professional. More than 100 high schools and post-secondary schools throughout North America are WCA EDUcation™ members. To learn more about the WCA, how to get involved with its programs or to sign up to receive the quarterly WCA Pathways e-newsletter, visit WoodworkCareer.org.