Article Number : 2221 |
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| Date | 8/15/2007 8:32:08 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=2221 |
| Abstract | Billings, Mont.—Dave Kalberg, an operations manager for Pierce Flooring & Design here, has been wanting to educate those interested in becoming professional flooring installers... |
| Article | Billings, Mont.—Dave Kalberg, an operations manager for Pierce Flooring & Design here, has been wanting to educate those interested in becoming professional flooring installers. And, with a little help from Montana State University - Billings College of Technology, his longtime dream has finally come to fruition. “I had this idea some 10 years ago and tried to sell it to the local schools, but nobody was interested,” he said. “It’s very obvious in the flooring industry that the trained/experienced installers are dwindling, and there seems to be no program to get new people into this trade. I realize the unions have programs, but even that seems to be limited. Kalberg decided he couldn’t wait for someone else to make it happen, so he approached the local MSUB College of Technology in the spring of 2006 to create this program. “The dean of the school, John Cech, was very interested, and within nine months the school started. It seems that every company wants to grow their business, and a flooring contractor cannot grow without having the resources of good quality installers. Now we’re creating a system to bring new people into the business.” The basis of Kalberg’s curriculum is the FIT program from FCICA. “I found out they had already created an eight-book set of manuals covering much of the installation topics for carpet and resilient. Now they’ve added a ceramic book. We conduct approximately 25 classes over a three-month period and the students get 75 to 80 hours of instruction,” he said. Students spend 25% of their time in the classroom learning about products and the industry. Then they spend the remaining 75% of their time in labs learning the tools of the trade, making actual cuts and then installing product in a mock-up. The following products are covered: carpet, sheet vinyl, VCT, hardwood, laminate, base/transitions and ceramic tile. “A local installer and I conduct nearly all the classes, but we also get some manufacturers to participate.” A total of three classes have been completed to date with another set to begin in January of 2008. “We’ve had 13 students complete the school, and six of them decided to enter the installation profession as apprentices,” Kalberg said. The classes are non-credit and each student pays a fee to attend; scholarships are also available. The school is offered to prospective students via a number of media avenues and is offered on the curriculum of the college. According to Kalberg, there have been many inquiries about the program and people have indicated they would want to create a similar program in their communities. “I’ve created a mechanism for interested parties to learn my system for a fee. I’m very proud of the program’s success in a short time frame, and now to be getting inquiries from around the country makes me think this could work for most everyone.” For more information about the program, call 406.652.4666. |