Years of hard work paid off for the Finishing Trades Institute of the Ohio Region [FTIOR], as the training group for the Painters Union gained accreditation from the Council on Occupational Education.

Viewed as a nationally honored seal of excellence for occupational education institutions, COE accreditation denotes honesty and integrity in the organizations.

According to its website, the COE is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a reliable authority on the quality of education offered by the institutions it has accredited, which includes registered apprenticeship programs.

Educational programs or institutes who have been found to meet or exceed stated criteria of educational quality and student achievement are granted accreditation.

George Boots, FTIOR Director of Training, received official notification in June that his organization met all the COE criteria, and was granted accreditation.

“I was stunned,” said Boots recalling his thoughts when he read the email. “It was roughly a five-year process from the time I spoke to the trustees, to the approval.”

The FTIOR became the sixth District Council training program from the International Association of Painters and Allied Trades to receive the accreditation. Overall, it is the 20th building trades registered apprenticeship program to become accredited.

Boots admitted the process was long, but felt it was worth the effort.

Throughout the process, self-assessments had to be completed by all those involved with the FTIOR including staff, trustees and District Council 6 Business Agents.

“There was no template or boilerplate we could use,” Boots said. “We all had to think. It led to everyone having a better understanding of what we needed to achieve.”

One of the biggest obstacles to overcome was getting everyone within the FTIOR on the same page.

The processes and systems were in place, but the challenge was getting all the parts for each of the four crafts (painter, glazier, drywall and industrial painter) coordinated and help everyone involved understand the changes were not an attack, but to make the organization stronger.

“It was a lengthy lifestyle change,” he said. “It was hard getting everyone to report in the same way. We were doing things, but just not in the same way.”

The process proved to be an eye opener for the staff, but he added that everyone has bought into the changes to make all the programs stronger.

One example Boots provided was terminology. The organization and those working for it had to change the way they talked. For instance, they are no longer a training center, but a service center.

In order to meet COE standards, the names of half the crafts they train had to change. While drywall finishers and glaziers remained the same, painter is now officially a painter-decorator and industrial painter was changed to painter, industrial coating and lining app specialist.

Another issue was the COVID-19 pandemic, which not only prolonged the process, but made it more challenging.

Unlike other registered apprenticeship programs who received accreditation, the FTIOR did not hire consultants to help them through the process. Boots believed this saved the organization between $20,000 and $40,000.

“I reached out to the service centers in Washington D.C. to pick their brains,” he said. “We had help from other Councils and institutions as well.”

Despite the challenges, Boots knows the FTIOR is in a better position now.

“It was the right decision,” he said.

The accreditation is the most significant thing to happen to the organization since Boots became the Director of Training.

Despite being accredited, many journeymen and apprentices may not notice the subtle changes. Apprentices will need to fill out surveys to provide feedback on the programs. Should the results indicate something is broken or not working, then those identified issues can be addressed.

Surveys will also be sent out to the contractors for their thoughts.

Perhaps one of the biggest opportunities connected to the accreditation involves the FTIOR now able to apply for and obtain grants through the Department of Labor and the Department of Education.

FTIOR staff will soon begin to explore these avenues and research the possible grants. The additional funds will likely be used for outreach to diversify membership. Boots also believes grants could be used to create new journeyman upgrade classes.