FIC member firms employ the skilled craftsmen of Local Floor Layers' Union 1310. That means they have four to six years of classroom and on-the-job education in the apprentice training program.

When a contractor needs craftsmen for any job -new residential or remodel, commercial, institutional or industrial - he is confident they will perform the installation quickly, efficiently, and with the highest degree of quality. FIC member firms never have to resort to an employment agency; there is always a pool of skilled labor available.

Craftsmanship is critical. When you select a floor covering, it's the installation of that material which determines its serviceability. Improper installation of any flooring material will affect its attractiveness as well as its lifespan.

Young men and women, age 17 and older, and with at least two years of high school, are trained in laying wood, ceramic, carpet and resilient floors. Approximately 15 percent of their training takes place in the classroom. The other 85 percent takes place in actual hands-on work situations.

The apprentice training program maintained by Local 1310 and the FIC is the only floor covering apprentice school in Missouri certified by the U.S. Department of Labor. It is one of the oldest floor covering training schools in the U.S., and is managed by a joint labor/management board of trustees.

The St. Louis apprentice training program has served as the standard for international union training. St. Louis instructors are regularly involved in workshops sponsored by the Carpenters International Union where they train instructors from apprentice programs in other cities.

The greatest advantage of apprentice training is that skilled craftsmen can perform more productively and efficiently than untrained persons, providing the purchaser a reduced cost and better value.