Findorff signs new full-time apprentice as industry is hungry for workers

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Findorff on Monday welcomed a new member to its apprenticeship ranks with a trade signing day at Marquette University in Milwaukee.

Ayden Laskwoski entered a registered apprenticeship with Findorff after becoming the company’s first graduate of the Wauwatosa School District’s Certified Pre-Apprenticeship program. The young carpenter worked on David A. Straz Jr. Hall, the new home of Marquette’s College of Nursing, as a youth apprentice while finishing his high school courses.

In April, there were 315,000 job openings in construction, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2023, the median construction worker age was 41.9, emphasizing the need for younger workers to join the industry.

In addition to Wauwatosa, Findorff partnered with the West Allis School District, Brown Deer High School and Nicolet High School, said Chris Strzok, the company youth apprentice coordinator. Students who start as youth apprentices have opportunities to register as apprentices full-time after, he added.

“We align what we’re teaching with what private sectors are looking for,” Strzok said. “The state works with stakeholders to say the kids need to know and teach it in the afternoon, while we teach during the day. When they’re done, they can do what’s called bridge, which is exactly what Ayden did. He was a youth apprentice and bridged to become a registered apprentice,” he added.

Findorff handles between 25 and 30 youth apprentices in the consortium, Strzok said. Overall, the company has employed 110 apprentices over the past year.

Company officials expect youth and registered apprentices to grow with partners, but workforce growth depends on the demand for local construction projects.

In May, construction employment totaled 37,500 in the Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis area, statistics from BLS showed. That was a 1.9% increase over the last year.

Construction crews are finishing the Couture and projects at Nicolet Union High School, said Mike Stern, Findorff’s project management director.

The contractor is also in charge of building Marquette University’s 180,000-square-foot Rec Center and Straz Hall; the latter is in its final construction stages.

“As the industry continues to evolve and find more work, we’re looking for the next big project and to make an impact on Milwaukee,” Stern said.

On the fifth floor of Straz Hall, Laskowski savored the place he helped build before taking the next steps in his career.

“That was the best part of it,” Laskowski said. “You work for a whole year and towards the end, it’s a building now and it’s finished. You’re always wondering what it will look like and now you get to see it at the finish line,” he added.