EAST MOLINE, Illinois — Local and union officials are breaking ground at the site of a new training center for union carpenters and millwrights in the Quad City area.
"Our new state-of-the-art Carpenters and Millwrights East Moline Training Center is a symbol of growth and jobs in the Quad Cities," Gary Perinar, executive secretary-treasurer of the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters, says.
The Chicago Region Council of Carpenters is building the $10,000,000 center. The 55,000 sq. ft. facility will give about 400 apprentice carpenters and millwrights about 6,000 of training over their four-year apprenticeship.
This is the second facility to be built in East Moline, and it will replace the first center just two miles away. It will have capacity for 800 apprentices, and another 1600 journeyman carpenters and millwrights will have access to the training center for intermittent skill advancement training.
It's a process that started about 14 years ago, and officials expect it to be complete in Fall 2021.
"This new training facility will make union members in the Quad Cities more productive and profitable by getting jobs done the right way," Perinar says.
It's a project that's anticipated to elevate East Moline and surrounding communities.
"(The center) will bring significant tax revenue to the region and will also help spur development," Perinar says.
A 250-seat meeting room at the center will also be available for the public to host events.
According to a press release, the training programs and curriculum offered at the center include foundations, wood and metal framing, flooring, scaffolding, as well as other carpentry skills.