Training first and foremost

When our highly skilled union carpenters complete a project, it ranks in quality on par with the top craftsmanship in the world. From soundness of construction to aesthetics of the finish, quality is our top priority.

With 22,000 well-trained men and women across New England, we guarantee a deep pool of qualified workers for every type of project. Our apprenticeship program continues to generate the workforce of the future. In fact, more than 6,000 carpenters are taught each year by nearly 100 expert instructors at our 15 training facilities. Those apprentices reflect the diversity of all of the communities throughout New England, and they graduate prepared for a career, not just a job.

We're commited to providing well-rounded carpenters across the entire range of building disciplines. Therefore skill upgrades make up a singificant portion of our educational initiative. There are more than 65 training classes available at no cost to our members, including some of the industry's most in-demand topics:
-Finish Carpentry
-Construction Supervisors LIcense
-Cabinet Making
-Foreman Training
-Bluprint Reading I & II
-10& 30 hour OSHA Safety
-Computer Aided Design
-Solid Surface
-Survey/Project Layout
--Drywall Certification


Along the high-skill path under collective bargaining, the following holds true:
Workers are one-third more likely to have some college education.
Workers have substantially more apprenticeship training.
In the case of heavy-and-highway contractors and specialty contractors:
--Contractors get 14-18% more output from each worker.
--Contractors get 17-20% more value added per worker.
In contract, in the open shop, the following holds true:
--Workers are twice as likely to be high school dropouts.
--Workers are twice as likely to be young and inexperienced.

More than 6,000 carpenters are trained in labor-management administered programs affiliated with the New England Regional Council of Carpenters. There are 93 full and part-time instructors at 15 training facilities.