New Jersey Carpenters Apprentice Training and Educational Fund Executive Director Discusses Carpenter Apprentice Opportunities at New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools Event

EDISON, N.J., Sept. 18, 2017 -- This summer, Ridgeley Hutchinson, Executive Director of the New Jersey Carpenters Apprentice Training and Educational Fund participated on the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools (NJCCVTS) panel to discuss apprenticeship opportunities throughout the state of New Jersey.

The panel, consisted of: Aaron Fichtner, the Commissioner of Labor at New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development; Frank Robinson of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association; and Bernard Treml, the former Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor under President Barack Obama’s Administration. During the discussion, participants shared ideas on developing relationships with county schools to increase the number of students who show an interest in apprenticeship training. Hutchinson specifically spoke about the Northeast Carpenters Training and Educational Fund and the importance of apprentice programs for young adults looking to learn a new trade.

“Apprentice programs prepare people for the work that takes place in our industry,” said Hutchinson. “The apprenticeship programs that we provide to men and women carpenters give them a good expectation of what to expect on the job site and set them up for a long and rewarding career as a union carpenter.”

The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters is currently building a state-of-the art training facility for apprentices next to its headquarters in Edison, NJ. The new 100,000-square-foot, two-story complex, is expected to be completed in December 2017, and will serve as New Jersey’s hub for education and training for more than 1,000 carpenter apprentices.

“We’re extremely excited about the development of the building and believe it will be the largest and most up-to-date training facility for carpenters on the East Coast,” said Hutchinson. “The new facility will enable us to train our apprentices and assist the journeymen with honing their skills in the latest technologies and advancements in the industry.

Along with our core curriculum, NRCC will provide a range of new technologies at the new facility, including Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology used by architects and engineers and a new “Total Station” program, which is the latest in building layout technology. The new facility will also feature an overhead bridge crane for rigging steel concrete forms, pile driving materials and millwright equipment.  

Additional features of the building will include:

• 13 classrooms retrofitted with state-of-the-art Audio/Visual technology.
• Spacious hands-on training for all the skillsets in carpentry, flooring, mill-cabinet, millwright and pile driving trades.
• 14 welding booths.
• A fully equipped cabinet shop to support training for our mill-cabinet program.
• A 300-seat auditorium with theater seating for NRCC meetings & conferences, professional presentations and apprentice orientations & graduations.

About the NRCC

The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) represents nearly 40,000 hardworking men and women in Delaware and New Jersey and portions of Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. NRCC is one of the largest trade unions on the East Coast. The NRCC equips professional men and women carpenters with the skills, training and quality workmanship that are demanded in today's construction industry. For more information on NRCC, please visit our website: www.northeastcarpenters.org; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NortheastRegionalCouncilofCarpenters; or Twitter: https://twitter.com/nrccarpenters.

Contact: Tony Bianchini
Phone: 609-402-1730