The New York City District
Council of Carpenters

  
 LABOR TECHNICAL COLLEGE

The 36th Annual Golden Hammer Contest

On April 14, 2005, the Labor Technical College conducted the 36th Annual Graduating Apprenticeship Contest Open House and Exhibits.

The Trustees of the Greater New York Floor Coverers Industry Promotional Fund continue to promote educational programs that increase the skills of our industries work force by fully supporting the apprentice programs maintained by the New York District Council of Carpenters Labor College


This year, 25 of the College's best graduating apprentices competed in five categories of competition: Carpentry, Interior Systems, Floor Covering, Millwright and Cabinet Maker. Four apprentice floor coverers competed, and The winner of the competition was Alfred Comello. Others competing was Chris Abbene, Evguein Vystorpski and Jason Vargas.

All contestants did an outstanding job representing their local unions and the New York City District Council of Carpenters. Judges rated the work according to safety, accuracy, productivity, quality and building codes. Winners received a full set of power tools, and will be presented with the prestigious Golden Hammer Awards at their June graduation.

Hundreds of NYC area schoolchildren attended the contest to learn just what it takes to become a carpenter - after completing 160 hours of classroom training, apprentices must then work 1,840 hours on job sites for each year of the four-year program. They must then pass an exam given by the college.

Representatives from contractors associations, the New York City District Council and local unions, along with membership, were here to support our apprentices competing in the competition.

Program director Martin Daly, who has guided the apprentices for eight years and is himself a 43-year veteran of the carpenters’ union, was on hand to reveal the winners. Prefacing the announcements he thanked all the students and instructors, saying, “Everyone here today is a winner. The apprentice program has a long history of recognizing our carpenter apprentices as they display the skills they have refined with more than 8,000 hours of training,” he stated. “This year’s competition showed once again how the Union’s commitment to excellence often exceeds industry expectations, producing a level of workmanship that is difficult to match.”

As one of the best apprentice programs in New York State, the Labor Technical College received the Outstanding Apprenticeship Program Award in 2002 from the New York State Apprenticeship and Training Council and the 2004 Alfred Gerosa Scholarship Award from the Concrete Industry Board Foundation. The Labor Technical College offers more than 1,700 young people advanced training in its state-of the-art facility. For the 2004-2005 school year the college spent $9 million to train its apprentices. The college is a division of the New York City District Council of Carpenters, which has over 13,000 active members.