Glenn Wirgau, WCA Treasurer and Project Manager at Meyer & Lundahl Manufacturing, brings you this news from the front lines of rolling out the WCA Skill Standards, performance-based assessments and WCA Passport.

I had an interesting exchange with a business owner at our AWI Chapter meeting regarding woodwork certifications and his perception of WCA’s work. This is not an exact quote, but very similar; “I’m not in favor of any more regulations. I’m not so sure I want to support creating any woodwork skill certifications that will make me pay more money for my employees.”

I explained to this colleague that WCA’s tool stamps and certifications were being developed for voluntary participation. There will not be a mandatory set of standards for a company, and thus no policing or regulation placed on business. I added that once he saw that having these certified employees increased his productivity, that maybe he’d pay them a premium to retain them, but that this was his choice. I continued, that as a business owner he may see the benefit in hiring people that have these tool stamps or certifications, and that he very well may choose to make it a policy to place these individuals on a preferred list for employment.

Another business man (his competition) offered that maybe it would be a possible to gain customers by being able to purport a certified workforce. I ended by reiterating that this stuff was all voluntary, and that for some business, it may be their choice not to seek certified employees, but that sooner or later they would get them anyway. Not because they sought them out, but because the employees themselves sought to better themselves, or because educational institutions choose to educate to them and certify them.

There were a group of 11 business men with me in this meeting. After the discussion came the unanimous vote to support WCA. Who wouldn’t?