CHARLOTTE, N.C — A new training center for carpentry work is now open in Charlotte.

What You Need To Know

  • The $6 million facility will prepare residents for millwright and carpenter training

  • Apprenticeship programs have begun, but spots are still open

  • The facility is located in University East Business Park

The training center is aimed at filling a high demand for skilled labor in fields like carpentry. One apprentice currently in the program says he didn’t want a regular desk job.

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“I got into this program because I just recently transitioned out of the military,” Cesar Lujano-Sanchez says. “So I wanted to find something that was at a different pace of work.”

Each program takes three to four years to complete. The only prerequisite states those who apply must be 18 years old, but leaders are considering adding a high school program.

Brown says it costs about $250 a year, but even that amount could get paid off pretty quickly. That's because apprentices can start working for contractors while they're going through the program.

“We are very short on all of the trades,” Training Coordinator Brian Fichter says. “With the training through the apprenticeship program, we can put them in a position where they are a skilled worker.”

An apprenticeship application open house will be held April 19. Anyone interested should arrive before 8 a.m. The location is 1928 Back Creek Drive, Charlotte, NC. For more information click here.