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IKORCC Hosts Women’s Workshop

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The IKORCC Diversity Committee hosted its first Women’s Workshop in Greenwood, IN, on June 24th, 2023. This event was created to give local women the tools and inspiration to do hands-on projects themselves and not be afraid to lead the way while doing so.

Speakers included local leading women, giving their testimonies on what it means to be a woman in leadership positions. Co-founder and owner of Two Chicks and a Hammer, from HGTV’s Good Bones, Mina Starsiak Hawk, spoke on her entrepreneurial start in home renovation and her success with the local housing market near downtown Indianapolis.

Local politicians Deb Whitfield, Ali Brown, Michelle Davis, and Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch gave the attendees a look into why running for office, no matter your background, age, or gender, is important for your community. Sarah Walker and Molly Burns spoke on their experiences in the construction industry, along with Dr. Rebecca Estes from the Indiana Department of Education, with the same goals of educating, promoting, and empowering women in the workforce.

 

Following the speakers, guests visited our training center, where they experienced hands-on workshops. The workshop opportunities included repairing a hole in drywall, reading a tape measure, hanging a shelf, changing door hardware, installing flooring, and more. IKORCC members and apprentices taught the attendees valuable yet simple do-it-yourself skills that all people could benefit from learning. Each workshop was taught with industry standards and safety precautions to ensure the attendees would carry on those new skills safely at home.

Overall, it was a great day for local women, not only to learn new skills and about the IKORCC, but also to network with some leading women in the area.

IKORCC Sisters Motivated After UBC Conference

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Nearly 500 sisters from across the U.S. and Canada met at the International Training Center in Las Vegas for the Sisters in the Brotherhood Conference last month.

Sisters from the IKORCC were able to have their questions answered by General President Douglas McCarron – a rare opportunity our sisters took advantage of. They also heard from renowned guest speakers, attended workshops, traded ideas and most importantly learned how they could help grow the sisterhood.

A month later, our sisters are actively applying what they learned on job sites, at local meetings and in their everyday life to grow the sisterhood. See what they learned and how they are applying it below or by clicking here.

Honoring Vets at KY Derby Festival

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Saturday volunteers with the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters spent the day honoring our nation’s bravest at the Kentucky Derby Festival in Louisville. The festival gave free admission to vets and their families for their annual Military Appreciation Day & Tyler Farr county concert.

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Volunteers from the IKORCC spent the day educating people about our Helmets to Hardhats program, which helps vets get a job after returning home, often within six weeks. Helmets to Hardhats helps military service members successfully transition back into civilian life by offering them the means to secure a quality career in the construction industry. Our federally-approved apprenticeship program allows vets to use their Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits to supplement their income.

Based on vet’s military occupation code, we can help leverage training and work-related experience during their time in the service for possible advanced placement in our apprenticeship program. With an honorable discharge, veterans can be working on a job site as soon as six weeks!

One of our carpenters and his wife, who volunteered at the event, were thrilled to meet country star Tyler Farr just before his concert Saturday!

We’d like to thank all the brave men and women that serve our nation’s military. We’d also like to thank the many volunteers who spent the weekend helping our community.

Click here to learn more about our Helmets to Hardhats program.

IKORCC & JATC Add 222 New Journeymen to the Workforce

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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 union journeyman. Carpenters, Ohio Carpenter JourneymanSaturday night, 222 fully trained journeymen and women graduated from the JATC & IKORCC apprenticeship program in Columbus, Ohio.

The graduates are a vital addition to a workforce desperate for skilled tradesmen. Graduates were trained as carpenters, millwrights or floor coverers.

Building America with Skilled Trades

In a speech to graduates, Patrick Reardon, Executive Administrator of Apprenticeship for the Ohio Office of Workforce Development, said IKORCC carpenters are building our future.

“When we think of an elite carpentry workforce here in the United States – it’s everyone graduating in this room,” he said. “Everyone here is building America and we are relying on you to continue to catapult us to the future.”

16 Veterans Graduate through Helmets to Hardhats

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.

State Training Director Vince Wright said, “Thousands of veterans come home to Ohio each year and need new jobs and careers to get started in. I’m proud to say out of our 2,200 apprentices, we have 216 Helmets to Hardhats apprentices.”

Colonel Mark J. Cappone, Assistant Director of Ohio Veterans Affairs, said, “Tonight is a great way to remember the contributions that our vets make to the workforce, to remind us that those who have served have grit, determination, perseverance and they know how to be on a team.”

Colonel Cappone presented a sealed recognition of the apprenticeship program on behalf of Ohio Governor John Kasich at the event. Governor Kasich commended the graduates for their hard work.

Continuous Training Sets Union Carpenters Apart

IKORCC Executive Secretary-Treasurer Mark McGriff also commended the graduates, while offering advice for the future. “When writing the story of your life, make sure no one else is holding the pen,” he said.

“There are so many opportunities in this organization, you have to take advantage of every single one of them,” McGriff added. McGriff and other staff members encouraged new journeymen to keep up with continuous training and serve as role models for apprentices.

A New Generation of Journeymen

New graduate Jacob Weiser, from the Northwest JATC and Local 351, plans to do both. Staff chose Weiser to speak at graduation after recognizing his dedication. “I’ve learned the importance of this apprenticeship and why the training is necessary to push our union and our trade forward,” Weiser said.

Weiser added, “I’m going to keep learning and keep trying to find better ways to get things done. I’m going to give my contractor what he’s paying for – a solid eight hours of carpentry, from a well-trained union journeymen carpenter.”

Congratulations to all graduates!