The facility is equipped to offer the latest technical and safety training in the industry. There are four training centers in the state of Ohio with seven additional centers in Indiana and Kentucky.
Participants receive a combination of classroom learning and hands-on experience out in the shop, teaching them the skills they need to be successful in the field.
“We lay the foundation for what they are going to do as they work through their careers,” Gunther said.
Basic, intermediate and advanced level classes are offered. Participants will earn a journeymen’s certificate as well as college credit that can be applied to an associates degree or a future college degree.
The apprenticeship trade programs include Commercial Carpenter, Millwright, Pile Driver and Floor Layer Apprenticeships with nearly 500 apprentices enrolled at the facility.
“Our goal is to make the most valuable member that we can. The more skills that a person has when they complete the program, the more opportunities for work that they have,” said Gunther.
Nolen Kennedy, 28, from Hamilton is a fourth-year apprentice at the Monroe Training Facility. He works full time at Shook Construction, a contractor of GE Aerospace in Evendale.
“I do whatever GE needs me to do. I’ve put up doors today. I have poured concrete. I have done insulated metal panels. I’ve also done drywall and some framing. I get to be the jack of all trades, learn all kinds of new skills and play with all kinds of fun toys, and it has been super useful in my life,” Kennedy said.
He enjoys the fact that he gets to do something different on the job every day.
“I can’t thank the training center and the jobs I’ve had enough for the practical life knowledge that they have given me,” he said.
Kennedy encourages others to consider the carpentry trade as a career.
“This is an excellent option to live a really good life, and to have financial freedom outside of college, and I’m probably one of the few people that can really say that because I’ve done both, and I will tell you, college just wasn’t for me,” Kennedy said.
The training center serves union carpenter apprentices and journeymen from 21 counties in Ohio and Northern Kentucky. The facility also offers year-round advanced training classes for journeymen to keep up with the latest methods and technologies. Current apprentices range in ages from 17-63.
A first-year apprentice makes $23.34 per hour, plus fringe benefits - health insurance, pension and annuity (additionally, about $17 per hour.) So, a first-year worker earns around $40 per hour. A journeyman currently makes $33.34 per hour plus another $21 in benefits, equaling about $54 per hour.
Large-scale infrastructure projects, commercial developments and housing needs are creating opportunities for carpenters and opening doors for people looking for a career that offers hands-on experience without college debt, according to the Central Midwest Carpenters Union.
The demand for construction workers “is surging” across the U.S., the union said.
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