Our industry excels at filling physical voids: Foundation holes, wall cavities, joist and rafter bays, and empty cabinets are among the many voids we jump at to fill. But over the last decade, this industry has failed in its attempt to fill another important void: young workers. Lead carpenters, like myself, need to be at the center of the solution. By definition, a lead carpenter sits at the crossroads of production and business, putting us in the exact right spot to influence how new workers are nurtured in a company.
In this four-part “think piece,” Ian Schwandt takes up the task of examining the labor shortage from a new angle where lead carpenters have a pivotal role in the solution.
