This week, IUPAT leaders from the United States and Canada joined our industry partners and employers at the 2016 Finishing Industries Forum. This two-day annual event has been held for over ten years by the Painters and Allied Trades LMCI, and presents speakers and workshops to give attendees the tools to expand their market share in their industries while growing the IUPAT workforce at the same time.
This year’s event featured workshops on business leadership, marketing, economic projections for our industries, the political climate for business, an update on regulations in our markets, as well as courses on improving management skills, among other industry topics.
“This forum is about moving ahead together to make a positive change in our industries,” said IUPAT general president and LMCI co-chair Kenneth Rigmaiden in his opening remarks. “The fact that we have been holding this event since 2005 tells me that everyone here is willing to take advantage of this opportunity to grow our industries.”
“The value you get out of these next few days is in direct proportion to what you are willing to put in,” Mike Cassidy, co-chair of the LMCI told attendees. “So, if the days following end absent value, then who’s the first person you need to have a conversation with?
One of the featured workshops at this Finishing Industries Forum was Project Management 2.0. The original program, launched in 2008, taught critical core project management competencies such as estimating, budgeting, planning, scheduling and cost control with a case study on an IUPAT project in North America where students could apply the tools they learned to “real life” scenarios. Other topics emphasized soft skills, such as the study of behavioral preferences, and relationship skills, like conflict resolution.
Slated to be released in early 2017, the updated version still includes the above subjects but has content that more closely aligns with the challenges we face today in the Finishing Industries. It also includes an extensive library of courses available in the Finishing Trades Institute online Learning Management System.
Once again, the LMCI Finishing Industries Forum was a great success in bringing labor and management together for success in our industries. We will be gathering again for 2017 FIF next December.