Special training center Offers Apprentices a place to learn craft

The Laborers Apprenticeship and Training Center is all about learning by doing.

This gleaming, 50,000-square-foot building, designed by area architect Potter Lawson and built by Findorff in 2004, is a perfect example of a specialized training facility that's really paid off.

Training director Al Freidel says staying abreast of new technology and safety needs in the construction industry is important to the members of the Wisconsin Laborers' District Council.

Getting hands dirty

At the heart of the center are the three enormous training bays that bring a realistic job site to the students. Roll-up doors allow backhoes and front-end loaders to move in and out of each bay. A ceiling clearance of 20 feet in each bay gives ample space to demonstrate and practice pipe laying, masonry, concrete pouring and scaffold building. That this training is possible no matter the weather is extremely important to an industry and work force that lives the adage of two seasons, winter and construction.

In addition to the training bays, there are separate classroom instruction areas, a welding "lab," cafeteria, break room and offices for the district council. The finishes throughout the building are tile and brick and are attractive and sturdy. The bays and classrooms get ample natural light from clerestory and interior windows.

Good location

The location of the center on Highway 19 just off Interstate 39-90-94 easily serves the 8,000 members throughout the state as well as helping connect them with contractors and their equipment. In addition, the center has access to mobile hazardous materials training units and offers satellite courses at local union offices throughout the state.

Fifty percent of all training is about safety. Laborers do their difficult work on busy roads, challenging construction sites, and behind the wheels of huge machines, so worker and public safety is imperative and ensures safe and productive job sites. The center works hard at increasing safety awareness among Wisconsin motorists.

The center serves 8,000 union laborers in Wisconsin and is the main conduit for an apprentice to train to the journeyman level. A total of 4,000 hours of training both on the job and at the center are necessary for an apprentice to become a journeyman. The center has served more than 1,500 students and provided 32,000 hours of training. The lack of skilled construction workers in Wisconsin is a concern shared by contractors, management and laborers. The center serves as useful recruitment tool with more than 900 new members since moving into the new facility.

Training pays off

The facility cost $5.5 million to construct but is worth every penny to the workers and contractors who fund it. Improving workers' skill sets, and increasing the focus on safety and proper work technique benefits everyone. Most of all, the laborers themselves feel a sense of pride and accomplishment knowing that their union and the contractors work together to make sure every laborer has the opportunity to improve themselves throughout their career.

Derrick Van Mell is principal of Van Mell Associates, management consultants specializing in strategic facility decisions. Steve Steinhoff is executive director of the Neighborhood Design Center, helping communities become great places.