With Skilled Tradespeople In High Demand, A Unique Training Program Brings More Qualified Workers To The Jobsite

From electricians to commercial painters, the need for more skilled labor in the construction sector topped 500,000 workers in 2024. That's in addition to the “normal pace of hiring” to satisfy labor demands.

Many project owners and developers have had difficulty when it comes to selecting qualified contractors. According to a survey from RCLCO, 85% of CRE companies this year recorded that they are struggling to hire skilled talent. In the commercial/industrial painting and drywall industries, labor recruitment and retention have been cited as some of the biggest obstacles facing the sector.

To help bring more skilled workers to construction sites, one Chicago-based company, Finishing Chicago, is training local tradespeople in painting, drywall and other on-site tasks through its apprenticeship program at the Finishing Trades Institute in Berkeley, Illinois. 

Dan Penski, director of apprenticeship and training for the Finishing Trades Institute of DC14 Chicago, explained that there are common misconceptions when it comes to these types of jobs. 

“Painting is one of the more accessible DIY projects people take on, so everyone assumes there isn’t much to it,” he said. “There are nuances to something as seemingly simple as traditional brush and roll jobs, and our tradespeople learn everything from the parts of the brush and what they do to the characteristics of all kinds of paints and stains and when and how to best use each.” 

Finishing Chicago’s network of contractors tackle every corner of the industry, from painting residential structures, bridges, water towers and office buildings to many large-scale projects that require rigorous safety training, Penski said. Every commercial and industrial painter, wallcovering installer and drywall finisher who works for one of its contractors has completed the apprenticeship program within their first three years as a painter or their first two years as a drywall finisher. 

Representing the Chicago Painters Union, this apprenticeship program has been in place for more than 100 years, Penski said. The program was originally held at the Washburn Training Center, a facility that handles training for all of Chicago’s tradesmen. However, when that facility eventually closed, it left room for Finishing Chicago to open its own training center in Berkeley, with a focus on painters and drywall professionals. 

“Our training facility is a state-of-the-art facility with dedicated practical areas for each of our trades,” Penski said. “Instructors from the field bring years of experience in their disciplines and teach apprentices through a balance of classroom information and hands-on experience.” 

The commercial painting apprenticeship includes 3,240 hours of field time four days a week with a contractor as well as 960 hours of learning time in the classroom one day per week, he said. Classes range from paint failures and remedies and special decorative effects to lead and asbestos awareness and hazard communication. 

Finishing Chicago also offers industrial painting apprenticeships, including 4,600 hours of field time with a contractor, from spring through the end of each year. It offers 480 hours of classroom time or five consecutive days every three weeks. The program is broken down over three years with a different focus during each segment. Some topics include inspection reports, spray applications and safe work practices, Penski said. 

“The school is a professional environment where students come dressed in their ‘whites’ as they do in the field, and with their personal set of standard tools, which varies for each trade,” he said. “Each area has customized mock-ups to simulate real-world environments apprentices will face in the field.”

For drywall finishing apprentices, 4,000 hours of field time, four days a week with their contractor, is required to complete the program, in addition to 480 hours of school time, one day per week, Penski said. Apprentices learn fundamentals of the trade over a two-year period, including filling, taping and sanding applications as well as working with different materials and tools. 

“Our drywall finishers don’t just know how to patch holes and apply mud cleanly, they learn how to do all of this in a fast-paced production setting while using advanced application tools like bazookas, tape boxes and spray machines, sometimes while gliding down a hallway on stilts to shave time off the up and downs of a ladder,” he said. 

The pitfalls of hiring someone without extensive training will inevitably show up in projects. Those include premature coatings failure and popping seams and screw/nail heads from drywall, to name a few common issues. Additionally, inexperienced tradespeople can delay project timelines, keeping clients out of their spaces for longer than anticipated and causing frustration and potential budget overruns, he said. 

One of the apprentice program’s most valuable benefits is its ability to turn over spaces to clients on time or even prior to discussed timelines due to the extreme efficiency of its tradespeople, Penski added.

“The influx of DIY shows has actually damaged the public perception of trades,” he said. “They have crews of people pulling off the 48-hour transformation and there have been numerous issues with long-term quality. It’s easy to look at the higher rate of union contractors and unknowingly write it off as greed.”

To reward professionals who’ve stayed up-to-date on their craft and safety training, Chicago’s Painters District Council No. 14, the Finishing Contractors Association of Chicago and the Finishing Trades Institute joined together to create the Safety Training Awards Recognition, or STAR, program. Participants who take enhancement classes throughout the year receive one to two raffle tickets based on class load, which enters them in the annual raffle for a variety of cash prizes, laptops, new cars and more, Penski said. 

“Most companies within our industry can’t come close to the levels of required specialized training and opportunities for continual upgrades our tradespeople receive throughout their careers,” he said. “We’re honored to offer unparalleled training to so many, and keep pushing the craft of painting and drywall installation moving forward.” 

This article was produced in collaboration between Finishing Chicago and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.