Labor demands are at an all-time high and this includes the need for high quality and experienced commercial flooring installers. This is an issue we face constantly in our own business at Garmon & Company and we put time and effort into staff recruitment, retention, and training.

Recent initiatives put in place by the World Floor Covering Association shows just how much this issue affects the flooring industry. The WFCA is now committing $1 million in funding towards initiatives that can help solve the flooring industry’s lack of qualified installers. The campaign is called “We’re part of the Solution” and the initiative has been backed by industry leaders who will take part alongside the WFCA to bring the idea to reality.

To further help the plans, the organization has also launched the Floor Covering Education Foundation. The foundation will be focused on scholarship, recruitment, placement, and retaining professional flooring installers.

The initiatives are part of a plan to improve the future of the industry after the results of a multi-phase study commissioned by the Floor Covering Leadership Council (FCLC) and run by the Blackstone Group.  The study highlighted the scope and severity of the lack of installation professionals in the flooring industry, and the research found that the flooring installation industry will be short by between 3,000 – 6,000 installers per year over the next 10 years.

However, the sustainability and growth of the industry may be affected even more severely than that. The majority of the installers in the industry today are fifty-five or older, according to recent data from International Certified Floorcovering Installers, meaning that many are close to retirement age.

For those who want to access the WFCA education platform membership will be free to primary

members of the WFCA, including distributors, retailers, and manufacturers. For other types of WFCA members who want to use the WFCA education scheme, they can do so by making a $100 donation to the Floor Covering Industry Foundation.

The Floor Covering Industry Foundation helps to get families back on their feet when battling life-altering medical conditions, injuries or disabilities.