About INSTALL

has become very active in the response to several pressing concerns in our industry:

1) Near crisis-level demand for qualified flooring installers, properly trained in tool use and material installation, to fill the needs of new construction.

2) The rising rate of installation failures, resulting in unprecedented levels of consumer callbacks, which has led to a significant drag on the bottom line for manufacturers and contractors alike, who lose money every time they must return to satisfy unhappy customers.

Yes, there are many smaller individual training programs in the marketplace aimed at bolstering installer skills. We salute and thank every one of them, because anyone who is working to raise the level of mechanic expertise is helping the entire industry. But the reality is that no program - regardless of content or instructor skill - can teach what needs to be learned in a weekend, a week…even a month. And the need for skilled flooring mechanics is simply too great to be addressed by a collection of industry splinter groups with limited capacity and reach.

The fact is, flooring installation is a multi-faceted craft that requires years of training and the opportunity to work alongside seasoned tradespeople to turn a novice into a professional. And in order to supply the industry's demand, any training group must have the ability to train large groups of installers on a coast-to-coast basis, at properly equipped facilities.

The only qualified professional organization that meets these requirements is .

There are currently more than 10,000 members working as professional flooring installers in Canada and the United States. We are putting aggressive recruitment strategies in place to ensure an ongoing increase in the number of qualified graduates we supply to the industry. The capacity of our training staff and facilities will more than adequately accommodate this expansion, and we are committed to maintaining this ability.

Training of mechanics currently takes place at nearly 60 official instruction centers across the continent, and that number is growing every year. trainers themselves are eductated at the brand new, state-of-the-art facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, which also serves as the international headquarters for Install. All of these facilities are equipped with the workspace, tools and materials necessary for trainees to practice their skills on real work projects. They receive close supervision from trainers who are themselves constantly upgrading their own knowledge and practical skills. The curriculum includes input from the manufacturers whose products they and their students will be working with throughout their professional careers.