SBWI Now Offers Registered Apprenticeship Training
Continuing education courses at SBWI can now apply toward nationally-recognized apprenticeship learning requirements.
We are proud to announce that the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute (SBWI) has been approved as a related technical instruction provider for The Campaign for Historic Trades’ nationally recognized Registered Apprenticeship Program. This designation opens a new pathway for students and working professionals to apply hands-on woodworking education toward apprenticeship requirements.
Through this partnership, eligible classes at SBWI can now count toward classroom instruction requirements for Preservation Carpenters, Historic Window Technicians, Deconstruction Technicians, Traditional Roofing Technicians, and Traditional Masons. Active and prospective apprentices are invited to strengthen their practical skills with us, while working toward Department of Labor-recognized credentials.
“This landmark apprenticeship program has been more than fifty years in the making,” said Natalie Henshaw, Director of The Campaign for Historic Trades. “Effective workforce development is an ecosystem, built through collaboration with organizations like the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute. By connecting high-quality hands-on education with Registered Apprenticeship opportunities, we can support historic preservation employers and strengthen access to the skills needed to preserve and steward historic buildings and traditional craft knowledge for future generations.”
The Campaign for Historic Trades is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding career pathways in the preservation trades through Registered Apprenticeship programs, workforce development, and industry partnerships. Through its work with training providers and employers nationwide, the organization helps build access to high-quality education while supporting the future of traditional craft.
For students, this approval means additional flexibility and choice. We are excited to welcome working professionals from around the country to train in Adrian.
“Registered Apprenticeship programs create meaningful opportunities for people to build careers through hands-on learning and real-world experience,” said Susan Corbin, Director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. “Partnerships like this help expand access to high-quality professional trades opportunities while also creating reasons for people from across the country to seek out communities like Adrian, where nationally recognized training is paired with innovation, grit, and character.”
Whether students are pursuing a long-term career in woodworking, expanding their professional skillset, or exploring a new craft interest, this partnership reinforces SBWI’s role in connecting the highest quality training with real-world opportunity.
“Our continuing education program and exciting new trade school programs provide students with access to exceptional instructors, hands-on training, and meaningful skill development in a short-course format,” said Luke Barnett, president of the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute. “Becoming an approved Registered Apprenticeship training provider allows students to apply that learning toward professional advancement while making high-quality woodworking and historic trades education more accessible to people at every stage of their careers.”