In an effort to help address the labor shortage, decking and railing manufacturer Deckorators recently announced a program that will connect established deck builders with vetted and trained local apprentices for the 2019 building season. The Deckorators Deck Builder Summer Apprenticeship program, which is only open to the company’s Certified Pro contractors, will assist with recruiting new workers over the winter months, and then train them during one of two 1-week sessions at the company’s headquarters in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, in late April and early May 2019.
Deckorators Senior Business Manager Kat Williams says that this initiative was launched to address the shortage of qualified labor following discussions about the problem during the company’s Certified Pro workshop sessions. Williams explains that after a qualified contractor has applied to the program and developed a job description for potential apprentices, the actual local recruiting will be done by the human resources team at Universal Forest Products (Deckorators’ parent company) through targeted Facebook and Craigslist ads and outreach to area vocational programs.
Contractors have until the end of November 2018 to apply, while the recruitment process will take place from November 2018 to March 2019. Prior to final approval and actual hiring, contractors have the option of conducting a final job interview with the applicant, who must be on the contractor’s payroll and covered by insurance prior to the training sessions. Certified Pros are responsible for paying for costs associated with their apprentice’s training session, including airfare, lodging, and meals, but upon an apprentice’s successful completion of the program, Deckorators will post 2,500 points to the Certified Pro’s account. At the end of the apprenticeship term, which runs from June 1 to August 31, contractors have the option of hiring the trainee as a full-time team member. While slots at the training sessions are currently limited to about 25 per session, Williams says that the company hopes to see the program expand.
