Carpenters Union builds training facility

A lot of local handiwork has gone into a new training center built by the Carpenters Union.

On Route 404, west of Delaware Technical Community College's Owens Campus in Georgetown, the state-of-the-art facility boasts 28,000-square feet – a significant improvement from the rented 2,500-square-foot building the training center currently occupies, said John Brown, president of Local 2012 in Seaford.

"The idea behind the new building is consolidating offices and the training center in one building," he said.

Two classrooms will provide room for carpentry, flooring and machinery-maintenance instruction while the shop area will offer plenty of space for hands-on training, Brown said.

The building's location near Del Tech sets up the possibility of a future partnership with the school, he said.

"We didn't place it there to compete," Brown said. "In other places like Philadelphia, we partner with community colleges to crosstrain our members with some of the courses they offer."

Once the new training center is up and running, Brown said union officials will pursue discussions on a partnership with Del Tech.

For now, he said, they will concentrate on offering continuing education classes for tradesmen and an apprentice program that awards participants a journeyman certificate upon completion.

Brown said they hope to complete the building by mid-May with the help of about 20 local carpenters who came up through the training program.

Classes will begin in June for the semester that runs through September, he said.

Anyone interested in participating in the program must complete an application process that requires a high school diploma and passing a drug test.

For more information on training center programs, call 302-629-8747.