President’s Message: Celebrating a Landmark Year and Building Momentum for 2025

2024 marked another milestone year for the Woodwork Career Alliance (WCA), defined by continued growth and impactful expansion of our Passport Credentialing Program.

We witnessed a surge in participation, welcoming 1,810 new candidates into the program and proudly awarding 1,520 credentials across diverse skill levels. This achievement underscores the program’s vital role in equipping individuals with industry-recognized expertise.

Our commitment to fostering educational partnerships remains strong. We added 10 new EDUcation™ members, while maintaining an impressive 80% retention rate among our existing schools. Simultaneously, our MANufacturing™ membership expanded by nine new firms, demonstrating the growing industry recognition of WCA’s value.

To amplify our industry outreach, we deployed press releases, disseminated the quarterly Pathways newsletter, and showcased WCA’s impact at SkillsUSA, IWF 2024 and ACTE 2024 Vision. We further invested in educators by awarding eight $850 teacher scholarships through the Greg Heuer EDUcation Fund to attend IWF 2024, empowering them with valuable professional development opportunities.

Our online evaluator training continues to prove a successful, providing flexible and accessible training for Accredited Skill Evaluators nationwide.

The fantastic financial support of our Gold and Silver Sponsors is instrumental in our ability to advance our programs and realize our mission of cultivating a skilled workforce. We are profoundly grateful for their partnership.

Looking ahead, we are excited to announce we are beta testing four new online training modules. These resources, designed to empower both MANufacturing and EDUcation members, will launch later this year, providing accessible and relevant educational tools.

We are thrilled to extend our commitment to educators by offering up to 10 $850 scholarships for WCA EDUcation member teachers to attend the AWFS Fair in Las Vegas. Click here to apply by May 15 and be sure to visit us at AWFS booth 3573!

Finally, I am delighted to welcome Kelly Victor-Burke as our newest WCA Board Member. Her exceptional expertise and unwavering dedication will be invaluable assets as we continue to drive WCA’s mission forward.

Together, we are building a stronger, more skilled workforce for the woodworking industry. Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely,

Scott Nelson
President
Woodwork Career Alliance of North America
snelsonwca@gmail.com