405 Graduate from IN/KY Apprenticeship Program

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5200 hours of on the job training, 640 classroom hours, 4 years of dedication and sacrifice – that’s the kind of experience you get when you hire a journey level carpenter from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Saturday night, 405 fully trained journeymen and women graduated from the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship and Training Fund program during a ceremony at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis, Indiana.

“Congratulations to the newest journey level carpenters,” said UBC General President Douglas McCarron in a video address to graduates. “You’ve reached a milestone in your careers and you did it during some very difficult times. The pandemic affected your training, but you stayed strong and completed your apprenticeship.”

View photos from the event here.

EST Todd Pancake congratulates the newest journey level carpenters at the IKORCC JATF apprenticeship graduation.

405 graduates completed their apprenticeship – the most graduates ever in Indiana and Kentucky. IKORCC Executive Secretary-Treasurer M. Todd Pancake told graduates there’s never been a better time to be a union carpenter.

“You may not realize it, but you’ve met a goal. And now it’s time to look ahead and set a new goal. There are more opportunities available today than I’ve ever seen in the industry,” said EST Pancake as he congratulated graduates and shared the plethora of opportunities in the job market for skilled tradespeople.

This year’s graduates overcame many challenges due to COVID-19, including taking portions of their 4th year classes online, in addition to meeting rigorous graduation requirements. These graduates are a vital addition to a workforce desperate for skilled tradesmen. Graduates were trained as carpenters, millwrights or floor coverers.

“Everything we do is about attitude. Everything you do is 100 percent attitude, so always remember that. We are many trades, but one United Brotherhood,” Jerry Burke, Director of Education for the IKORCC JATF said.

16 Veterans Graduate through Helmets to Hardhats

Congratulations and thank you to the 16 Helmets to Hardhats graduates that completed their apprenticeship and honorably served our country.

16 of the graduates honorably served in our nation’s military and took part in the IKORCC’s Helmets to Hardhats program. Helmets to Hardhats puts vets on a fast track to union apprenticeship and a rewarding career in carpentry after their military service.

Helmets to Hardhats graduates represented the US Marines, US Army, US Army Reserves, and the US Navy.

Continuous Training Sets Union Carpenters Apart

In a speech to graduates, Royce Peters, Executive Director of the Carpenters International Training Fund, encouraged graduates to be good mentors and continue their training. “This journeymen class is now walking on paths in the construction industry that are not only unprecedented but unimaginable. Technology is changing. The key to staying competitive in today’s construction world is training.”

A New Generation of Journeymen & Journeywomen

EST Todd Pancake and 2021 IKORCC JATF graduate speaker Brittany Grier of Local 413.

New journeywoman Brittany Grier, from the Warsaw Training Center and Local 413, inspired the room as the 2021 IKORCC JAFT graduate speaker. Brittany is a fourth-generation carpenter, third-generation union carpenter and a second-generation female carpenter. She’s a superintendent for Ziolkowski Construction.

“The union runs in my blood and I believe in its ability to unite and build,” she said. “We are undervalued profession, yet we earn more hourly than the average American. Plus, 100 percent of our benefits are paid for by the contractor out of their pocket.”

She added, “In this room are all new journeyman carpenters. We have this fresh start to strengthen the reputation of the union, raise our worth, which will raise our wage – it all starts here with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Uniting together, treating our brothers like family and in turn changing the industry of carpentry.”

View her full speech here:

Union Carpenters to Build I Promise Housing Complex

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AKRON, OH – Home to the one-of-a-kind I Promise School initiated by a partnership with the LeBron James Family Foundation and Akron Public Schools, the I Promise complex is ready for the next big phase of their innovative learning model.  The LeBron James Family Foundation has been working with the East Akron Neighborhood Development Corporation or EANDC to develop affordable housing for families.

This new phase of the I Promise Network will offer housing with affordable rent expected to range from $350 to $850.  Families qualifying to live in the complex will be those earning 30% to 60% of Akron’s median household income of between $11,259 to $22,519, according to data reported by cleveland.com. Leer más

IKORCC Partners With Louisville Urban League

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A New Partnership to Remove Barriers

An exciting new partnership is underway at the IKORCC. Jerry Burke, IKORCC’s training Director for the Indiana and Kentucky training centers, announced a new specialized construction training program in partnership with the Louisville Urban League’s Kentuckiana Builds Program as well as an articulation agreement to add IKORCC’s pre-apprenticeship Career Connections curriculum to the Kentuckiana Builds curricula.

This partnership will allow students currently enrolled in the Urban League’s Kentuckiana Builds program to lessen the barriers of entering IKORCC’s apprenticeship program by reducing the enrollment time that is typically 6 months long, down to just 6 weeks. The students will also gain direct entry to the apprenticeship once they complete their 6-week construction training program.

During the 6-week program with Kentuckiana Builds, students receive career-focused management, expert job placement, and work-related incentives to recruit and prepare them for the construction industry. Once they graduate from the program, they leave with three credentials First Aid/CPR, OSHA-10, and the Core Construction credential from the National Center for Construction Education and Research.

During the program, The Louisville Urban League’s cohort will be hosted at the IKORCC’s Louisville training center for a 5-day hand and power tool training module. While the students are with the IKORCC for the 5 days of classes, they will learn soft skills, an introduction to construction, and tool safety among other topics both in the classroom and via hands-on techniques. Leer más

2022 Scholarship Applications Now Open

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Applications are now open for the IKORCC scholarship program. Forty $1,000 scholarships will be awarded in 2022 to eligible member’s dependent children. Twenty of the scholarships are awarded based on scholastics, and twenty others via a random drawing.

The Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council scholastic scholarships are awarded based on 60% high school grade point average and 40% on

 SAT or ACT scores. Twenty scholarships will be selected by random drawing.

The scholarship is to be used solely for the purpose of education in the form of tuition, room and board, and or books.

Sons, daughters, and dependent children of members of the Indiana /Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights are eligible for scholarships provided that:

  • The parent or guardian is now and has been a member in good standing of the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters for at least one year.
  • The son, daughter, or dependent child is a high school graduating senior.
  • The son, daughter, or dependent child will be attending a college, university, or trade school as a full-time student.
  • Application is received at the Council office prior to Friday, March 18, 2022.

All applications must include: 

  1. Signed and dated application form
  2. Signed certificate from a local union official
  3. Signed certificate from the high school principal
  4. Official high school transcripts with grade point average
  5. SAT or ACT scores
  6. Record of extracurricular activities

Click here to download the IKORCC Scholarship Application

IKORCC Programa de Becas

Scholarship applications must be received prior to Friday, March 18, 2022 at the Greenwood Council Office, located at 771 Greenwood Springs Drive, Greenwood, Indiana 46143. 

 

 

IKORCC Partners with Porter County Schools to Launch State Earn and Learn Pre-Apprenticeship Programs

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On August 24th, the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters alongside officials from the Indiana Office of Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship (OWBLA), IKORCC signatory contractors, school officials, and community stakeholders formally recognized Porter County Career Center (PCCC), Portage High School, and Chesterton High School’s respective carpentry programs as newly certified State Earn and Learn (SEAL) Programs.

Porter County Career and Technical Center – signatory contractor partner – Tonn & Blank Const. representative Megan Wheeler

State Earn and Learn (SEAL) Program

The SEAL Program is now one of Indiana’s state-level pre-apprenticeship programs. SEAL is designed to deliver a work-and-learn experience for pre-apprentices along with both the skills and certifications that will make them more valuable to potential employers.

IKORCC SEAL programs are aligned to the Indiana Career and Technical Educations Next Level Program of Study. By utilizing the Carpenters Career Connections curriculum, students will also be earning an IKORCC Carpentry Level 1 Apprentice Certification that satisfies Indiana Graduation Pathway’s postsecondary readiness requirement.

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Carpenters Build Community at Indiana State Fair

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Nearly a dozen carpenters spent Saturday building something a little different than usual. Instead of constructing buildings – they volunteered to build community and relationships at the Indiana State Fair.

Saturday, August 7th was Carpenters Day at the Indiana State Fair. Volunteers spent the day building keepsake toolboxes with families, recruiting new members and forming community partnerships.

When visitors came to the fair, the first thing they saw was giant banners that said “Welcome to Carpenters Day”. Fair staff wore “We’re Hiring” buttons directing them to our career application. All day long, radio ads for the Carpenters played over the loud speaker and our ads were on the back cover of the State Fair program. The sky ride also had recruitment advertising on the back of the cars.

Volunteers for the IKORCC were phenomenal. They set up four tents, showcased a new “Now Hiring” truck and had a large presence on the busiest corner of the fair. Volunteers handed out recruitment materials and built over 600 toolboxes. You couldn’t walk anywhere at the fair and not see the IKORCC and UBC logo in the hands of kids and adults. Hammy the mascot also made a few appearances!

In addition to building toolboxes, volunteers also sold raffle tickets for a playhouse with proceeds benefiting Carpenters Caring. Carpenters Caring is a non-profit that raises money for IKORCC members in need. This year’s playhouse was built by our partners at Central Nine Career Center. Students in the construction trades class completed the project. Special thanks to these students and their instructor Frank Wormann for their help.

Volunteers raised nearly $600 for Carpenters Caring thanks to raffle ticket sales and plan to continue selling raffle tickets until the drawing in late October.

To view all photos from the event, click here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1esmj3cmm1qx369/AACQNHUnN78hqSh48noCKFaya?dl=0

To view a Facebook live video of the event, click here;
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=675898710474761&ref=watch_permalink

 

EST Todd Pancake Updates Members on COVID-19 & Vaccines

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Read EST Pancake’s signed letter to IKORCC members here:
EST Pancake on COVID Vaccines

Brothers and Sisters,

For the last 140 years, safety has been the solid foundation on which the United Brotherhood of Carpenters was built. On a jobsite our members know the importance of safety. Whether it’s our hardhats, safety glasses, or harnesses, we know that in order to keep ourselves, our brothers, and our jobsite safe that we must take every precaution to do so.

The Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters has risen to every challenge COVID-19 has thrown our way. From ensuring apprentice & instructor safety at our training centers, ramping up PPE on jobsites, and even building large-scale temporary hospitals, IKORCC members have proven to be essential and continue to provide a skilled workforce in tough times.

Although the world has adjusted to the “new normal,” the coronavirus is still ever-changing and evolving. As the number of contractors and end user’s safety requirements increase, we as a council must be ready to face a new challenge. The coronavirus vaccine is on its way to having full approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by September 2021.

Now with more than 331 million doses administered in U.S, the vaccine has proven safe and effective against symptomatic infections, decreasing hospitalizations and death. More than 99% percent of Americans who have died from COVID-19 were unvaccinated. The science is clear – the vaccine saves lives.

As President McCarron said, “All of our jobsites have safety requirements – hard hats, specific PPE, or background checks. This is no different. This is a safety requirement so that all of us can work together and go home safe at the end of the day.”

We strongly encourage you to get educated on the COVID-19 vaccine, and ask your doctor questions. The choice is up to you. But, please understand that every day more of our end users are requiring a vaccinated work place.

It’s time we all step up to the challenge and continue to protect ourselves, our families, our community, and the future of the IKORCC by getting vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

Below you’ll find useful information about the COVID-19 vaccine and where you can get yours.

https://www.vaccines.gov/?gclid=CjwKCAjw9aiIBhA1EiwAJ_GTSvPrq_fnpv3_1F-BdTXxVvHJ7P_BCWgeXlfs6KTKAR5IQRFlbYMirhoC9D0QAvD_BwE

Fraternally,

M. Todd Pancake

Executive-Secretary Treasurer

Mass Timber Project Celebrates with Topping Out

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A symbol of achievement and dedication – this topping out signifies much more than just the final beam.

Wednesday, July 28th, 2021, the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters sponsored a topping out ceremony for the Intro Cleveland project.  The event was held to celebrate the feat of this historic project across from the West Side Market in Cleveland, OH.

Intro Cleveland will be a mixed-use building with apartments, an event center, and retail space.  The building is nine stories high and completely framed with mass timber.  Over 2,000 pieces of timber, cut and shipped from Binderholtz in Austria, will make this building temporarily hold the title of the tallest mass timber building in the United States.  Around 50% of the timber will remain visible in the building as it is filled with tenants, a reminder of the sustainability of the project. The wood began to arrive in the Port of Cleveland in December 2020 and the final piece was installed by IKORCC Union Carpenters on July 1, 2021.

IKORCC Executive Secretary-Treasurer Todd Pancake spoke at the ceremony about the hard work members have put into this project. Leer más

Bobby Miller Wins Don Sherry Achievement Award

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Few people have left the impact on the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters as Don Sherry did. Don Sherry tragically passed away in 2017. His

Don Sherry Award winner Bobby Miller and IKORCC EST Todd Pancake.

list of accomplishments is vast, and his impact on our union is unprecedented.

Don Sherry passionately served the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters for nearly 20 years as a business representative and Director of Organizing. He was the President of Carpenters Local 175 and a dedicated advocate for worker’s rights and unions. Colleagues said his dedication to this organization was second to none.

To honor his legacy, the IKORCC gives the Don Sherry Achievement Award annually.

To honor Don’s service and dedication, each year since his passing the IKORCC has given The Don Sherry Achievement Award. The award recognizes a rank and file member who has gone above and beyond in their service on the job site, with contractors, in MAC meetings (Member Action Committee), and in their community. In addition to giving an award in his honor, IKORCC delegates raise money each year during their annual conference and donate the proceeds to the Diabetes Foundation in Don Sherry’s honor.

Recipients of the Don Sherry Achievement Award include:

2018 – Glenn Downs, Local 599
2019 – Raymond Poer, Local 599
2020 – Cory Hudson, Local 285
2021 – Bobby Miller, Local 357

The Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters is proud to name Bobby Miller of Local 357 as the 2021 Don Sherry Achievement Award winner. Bobby is a retired 23-year member with a passion for the union and volunteering. He served 17 of those years as an officer to the local, serving as a trustee, financial Secretary and as a delegate to the regional council. He also worked as a part-time instructor in Newburgh, Indiana.

After retirement Bobby did not slow down. He’s serving as a project manager for the Paducah-McCracken County Habitat for Humanity, where he has helped build two homes. Another is scheduled for next year.

“This award is presented to Bobby Miller in recognition of his work going above and beyond the call of duty. The award honors his outstanding achievements in the workplace, exceptional contributions to the community and outstanding service to the IKORCC,” said Todd Pancake, Executive Secretary-Treasurer for the IKORCC.

“One of the greatest rewards to Bobby is mentoring numerous trade school programs on the job site and giving them the unique opportunity to perform work at an actual construction site. Bobby enjoys this, as he is able to spread the word about a career in the trades and the benefits a union job provides,” said IKORCC Business Representative Chad Helm.

To see a video of Bobby’s nomination & acceptance click here.

IKORCC Cookout Lifts Community Spirits

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The Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenter’s I.D.E.A. (Inclusion. Diversity. Equity. Awareness.) Committee faced a challenge. Local community members in Dayton, Ohio were looking for a way to get more involved and wanted to take action to improve their neighborhood. Unifying the Community On Thursday, June 24th, 2021 the I.D.E.A. Committee joined together over 111 members of […]

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