ABC Roofing Apprenticeship Program

Advanced Roofing joins forces with ABC to create Apprenticeship Program for the Florida Roofing Industry

Advanced Roofing has made an investment in the future of the roofing industry with the launch of the American Builders and Contractors Association(ABC) Institute Apprenticeship Program last September.  A founding member of the program, ARI has partnered with ABC Institute, an approved apprenticeship program provider of the Florida Department of Education, Department of Labor and the Department of Veteran Affairs, Benefits Division, to increase the talent pool of skilled roofers in South Florida.

The inaugural class consists of 13 students committed to earning 144 credit hours per year in this three-year program.  Once a week the students meet in the evening to learn about construction basics and gain in-depth roofing knowledge that would otherwise take years of field experience to achieve.

“Trying to recruit people into the roofing industry has been difficult for a number of reasons,” said ARI President & CEO Rob Kornahrens.  “The starting salary for a roofing laborer is approximately $12 per hour and it takes three to five years to move up the ladder to Roofing Mechanic I with a teaching foreman/crew chief, and often longer without. Also, without unions in South Florida to provide training, formal training for roofing isn’t available, so individuals who are interested in construction learn on the job or through family members while other construction trades offer plenty of training opportunities. With the economy improving, we have seen a wage war between roofing competitors since there is a shortage of talent so we’re seeing an increase in rates to get the last skilled roofers.”

With the apprenticeship program, students have the opportunity to quickly become a Roofing Mechanic II or Leadman on the crew, with the potential to earn $18 to $20 an hour and with overtime, a career-earning $50,000 or more a year. Most importantly, it’s an opportunity to develop the next generation of roofing professionals.

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