The Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights (MRCC) unveiled a 44’ trailer this past Labor Day that will allow students and others to experience what a career in the trades as a Carpenter or Millwright could look like using hands-on and virtual engagements. The trailer is just one of many programs the Union has developed to help fill Michigan’s skilled trades gap and give all students access to the information needed to begin a career as a Carpenter or Millwright.
Photos provided by the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights unless otherwise noted
“We are so excited to travel the state, bringing the field trip to students right at their school,” said Tom Lutz, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights. “There has never been a better time to start a career as a unionized carpenter or millwright, and the fact of the matter is that our state needs to fill the skilled trades gap to finish all of the projects in the pipeline thanks to historic public and private investments over the past few years.”
The Michigan Department of Technology and Budget named Carpenters as a Hot 50 job based on the high demand for skilled trades workers and the fact that it is a high-wage career. In response, MRCC has created programs to help students learn about joining the trades and to talk to educators about the need to discuss the skilled trades as a viable career path for all students worthy of consideration on the same level as college.
“Mobile Field Trips are just one program our Union is doing to give students and people from all walks of life the opportunity to learn about a great career as a Carpenter or Millwright,” Lutz continued. “We have launched our NFL-style hiring combines, Parent Curriculum Days to allow parents to see the great opportunities that exist for their kids and Career Days so students can hear from instructors and current apprentices. On Labor Day, we both honor our past, celebrate our present, and do what we’ve always done – open the door to opportunity and pass down our knowledge to the next generation of Carpenters and Millwrights.”
Juan Ortiz is a business representative for the MRCC, and the only bilingual, Spanish-speaking agent in Southeast Michigan. For more information or to schedule the Schools To Tools trailer at your local school, contact Ortiz at 313-549-0782 or visit www.schoolstotools.org
