FTI-UM

Pre-Apprenticeship Training Commercial and Industrial Painting

P Rome — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:08:25 +0000

The Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest is looking candidates to enroll in a Commercial and Industrial Painting pre-apprenticeship training program April 16, 2012 – May 11, 2012. This program provides opportunity for students to gain apprenticeships with Minnesota or North Dakota Union Painting Contractors wanting to expand their workforce. As an apprentice you can work a union job for pay while attending school to become a skilled trades-person. The 160 hours of training is scheduled for 7:00 am – 3:30 pm Monday-Friday. Candidates’ must be 18 years of age, have a Drivers License and a reliable means of transportation, a High School Diploma or be on schedule to complete a GED within one year and a good attendance record. No guarantee of employment is made. Please email your resume including work and school history by March 30, 2012 to get an interview scheduled.

Funding recommendation by Board of Trustees

P Rome — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:06:30 +0000

FTI~UM’s Board of Trustees approved and published a funding recommendation for bargaining parties when the approved their annual budget. The recommendation is that bargaining parties “consider at least a 1% of package contribution to the Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest“. The recommendation also carried that “language specifically reflecting the percentage, rather than specific cents per hour be incorporated into the CBA’s”. The recommendation’s intention is to give guidance to bargaining parties that aligns with the current and near future funding needs to carry out the training strategy of the Board of Trustees. The current recommendation of 1% is at the same level as recommended last year. Currently most of the current CBA’s are at or above the 1% level, however, several CBA’s have not reached the 1% level of funding yet.

LUC PRO-10

P Rome — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 20:04:55 +0000

The first LUC Pro 10 course was very well received by 36 members who obtained their certification with the 10 hours of training completed on February 27th & 28th. The curriculum contains training that targets professionalism beyond the technical skills on the job. Labor History, Project Management, Supervisor Training Program and Survival of the Fittest are examples of some of the IUPAT’s “professional” curriculum we deliver to our members. PRO-10’s, a Labor-Users-Contractors (LUC) initiative, sole goal is to improve and further the union construction industry. PRO-10’s objective is to go beyond technical skills and develop cooperation and understanding of each other’s role in an effort to maintain and grow market share. PRO-10 training is now mandatory on PRO-10 jobsites and the expectation is that customers will soon be making PRO-10 part of their bid specifications. Much of our current training can fulfill up to 60% of the class time needed to achieve PRO-10 certification. Over 1000 construction union members have obtained their LUC Pro 10 certification so far.

Registered Apprentice Initiative and New Hybrid Standards

P Rome — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:56:55 +0000

The Minnesota Department of Labor, Apprenticeship Division approved the new hybrid standards for glazing in June 2011. These new standards call for advancement based on a combination of “On the Job Learning” hours and assessments administered by the Glaziers Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC). We are proud to not only be the first IUPAT training center to have approved hybrid standards, but also the first organization of any trade to have approved hybrid standards in the State of Minnesota. Apprentices will advance only after having passed an “Apprentice Advancement Review” done bi-annually by the JATC at the end of each term. The staff is excited to work with this new type of training standards and is looking forward the other JATC’s adopting these new hybrid standards for training all our trades

Training Floor News

P Rome — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:54:44 +0000

The drywall finishing training area was recently renovated with new sheet rock. Sheetrock can only be washed off and reused for several years. The sheetrock has a special coating applied that allows it to be washed off at the end of the training day. The area includes many types of angles, soffits and radiuses that replicate most of the jobsite conditions encountered by drywall finishers. The area is mostly used for bead work and second and third coatings. Instructor Jim Lenton is looking forward to training in the refurbished area.

New continuing education classes have been established recently. Some of the new classes include; Lull & Forklift, Certification Class for Aerial Lifts and Lead Abatement Worker.

Upon recommendation by the FTI~I, our First Aid/CPR training is now associated with the American Heart Association (AHA). With AHA we provide a two year certification rather than a one year.

Industrial Painters should consider taking a welding or welding refresher course this year to expand or maintain their skills.

Name Change

P Rome — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:14:10 +0000

The Minnesota Finishing Trades Training Trust’s Board of Directors approved a name change to for our training organization to Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest. The new name better reflects our geographic impact, our mission as an institute of higher learning and enhances our future recruiting ability. The name change will include a new logo and a closer affiliation with the Finishing Trades Institute – International. The staff looks forward to this new identity.

Star Program Courses

P Rome — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:13:33 +0000

The April deadline for taking STAR qualifying Continuing Education Classes will be upon us quickly. We all know safety is paramount and STAR qualifying courses train our members to work safely. Please look at our schedule and get signed up for a course that could put you in a new pickup to drive to work, on a new 4 wheeler for the trail, on a guided fishing trip or in front of a new flat screen TV.

Window Training

P Rome — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:12:19 +0000

The FTI-UM staff has been meeting with architectural window manufacturing representatives to assess the training needs for our members in the pre-glazed window market. Recently, Union Glazing Contractors have shown interest in expanding their markets beyond storefront and curtainwall. Training members for pre-glazed window installation would be essential for their success in making headway into these new markets. Many manufacturers have great interest in partnering with us to help them expand their markets and assure a quality installation of their products.

Continuing Education

P Rome — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:11:28 +0000

Unfortunately, we canceled several Continuing Education classes in the Fall due to lack of interest or participation. We encourage all members to expand their skill set in this down economic time. Please take some time to review our course offerings for this spring on this website. We also appreciate when members make suggestions for our course offerings. We welcome emails or phone calls to discuss members training needs.

Industrial Painting

P Rome — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 08:10:32 +0000

Industrial Painting

Our “Introduction to Industrial Painting” courses were well attended. Students were given classroom instruction and “hands on” experience in spraying and blasting techniques used in industrial painting. We are preparing to hold a “Abrasive Blasting” courses and will be making them part of our regular continuing education. Attendees of this training who have 800 hours of prerequisite blasting experience may choose to test for a C7 certification during this class. We see industrial painting as a real employment opportunity area for members in the coming year. We hope these course offerings will put members in a position to find employment in the important infrastructure work our country needs in the coming years.