The skilled labor shortage in millwork and architectural woodwork is real, and it is solved at the classroom level — not on Indeed. The AWI Florida Chapter runs programs to put member shops in contact with the schools, students, and educators training Florida’s next bench of cabinetmakers, installers, finishers, and project managers.
Each program below has a real owner on the board and is open for member participation. If you’d like to volunteer, sponsor, or expand one of these, email the Education Chair.
Annual scholarships awarded to Florida students enrolled in accredited cabinetmaking, architectural millwork, or related career & technical education programs. Funded by member dues and chapter event proceeds.
Chapter members host U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeships in Cabinetmaker (RAPIDS 0067) and related occupations. The chapter matches qualified applicants with member shops, and helps shops navigate the registration process.
High school CTE groups and technical college students visit AWI Florida member shops to see commercial architectural woodwork production firsthand — CNC routers, edge banders, finishing booths, install crews, and bidding processes.
Each participating chapter member adopts a local CTE program or technical college, committing to year-over-year support: equipment donations, guest speakers, scholarship referrals, and graduate hiring pipelines.
A roster of chapter members willing to speak at FL high schools, CTE programs, and technical colleges about careers in architectural woodwork — what the work actually is, what the pay path looks like, and how to get started.
The chapter donates current copies of the AWI Architectural Woodwork Standards (AWS) to qualifying Florida CTE programs and technical colleges, so students learn the actual industry reference — not a textbook approximation.
Every program on this page exists because a chapter member raised a hand. If you teach woodwork, employ apprentices, or want to start something the chapter doesn’t already run — email the Education Chair. The board reviews education proposals at every meeting.
