FCEF Cuts Ribbon on New Training Center in Birmingham, Ala.

The Floor Covering Education Foundation (FCEF) celebrated the official opening of its new Birmingham, Ala., Training Center on Sept. 29 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony which drew more than 46 representatives from education, flooring industry leadership, workforce development and the local business community.

The new training center will serve as a hands-on instructional site for Jefferson State Community College and Lawson State Community College, where students will receive training through FCEF’s FI41 Flooring Technician program as part of Alabama’s Skills for Success initiative. Representatives from the Alabama Community College System and the Innovation Center joined college leaders, employers and industry partners to mark this important milestone for flooring workforce development in Alabama.

“This is about much more than opening a new training facility; it is about creating opportunity,” said David Chambers, chairman of the FCEF board. “This center represents what can happen when industry leaders, educators, community partners and workforce advocates come together around a common purpose. Students will walk through these doors, learn valuable skills and discover rewarding careers, while employers gain access to a stronger pipeline of trained talent.”

Kaye Whitener, FCEF exec dir., noted, “The Birmingham Training Center gives us the opportunity to do much more than provide our flooring technician training. We want this facility to become a resource for the entire industry. In addition to student training, this space can be used for product knowledge classes, specialty training, continuing education and other industry events that help strengthen our workforce and support professional growth. Our goal is to keep this training center active, relevant and valuable to the industry it serves.”

Whitener recognized Don Roberts of Central Alabama Flooring, Roy Lewis of Eagle Floorcovering and Roy Allen Lewis of RAL Contracting for their leadership, support and hands-on contributions in helping develop and prepare the new facility.

FCEF also introduced The Power of Together Wall, a featured recognition display inside the Birmingham Training Center that will highlight annual industry supporters. Designed as an interactive visual feature, the wall will provide companies with a visible presence inside the facility while reinforcing their support of flooring education and workforce development. The display is expected to include sponsor recognition panels and QR-code engagement opportunities to help students learn more about participating companies and career paths in the industry.

“This facility belongs to the future of our industry,” Whitener added. “Every student who trains here represents the possibility of a new career, a new employee for an industry business, and another skilled professional entering the flooring workforce. We are grateful to everyone who helped us reach this day, and we are excited about what will happen here next.”