News

The first floor of the Carpenters Center in Boston is undergoing a renovation to better serve apprentices and the North Atlantic Carpenters Training Fund (NASCTF). The layout of the space was designed in 2010 when the building was being redeveloped by the union to serve as a training center and regional council headquarters. At the time, it was expected that the first and second floors would be used almost exclusively for journey level upgrade training.

Several years ago, NASCTF began training more apprentices at the site to eliminate travel to the central training center in Millbury. Though modifications have been done to the first and second floors of the building over the years, NASCTF Executive Director Tom Fischer says this is the first “substantial replanning and reorganization of the shop space” since the shift in use occurred.

“We’re opening it up and providing more flexibility in use,” he said. “Whether it’s the work of the apprentices on a weekly basis or special projects we do, our spaces never stay exactly the same for very long. But in this case, there’s a purposeful and long-term thinking for what we’re doing.”

It will also help the program accommodate the growing interest in “Shop Fridays” among Boston area schools and community programs.