About
Our Mission:
Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest is an educational institute dedicated to developing professional tradespeople, advancing their skills, and certifying their qualifications in the Upper Midwest. Our diverse, inclusive programming provides lucrative, exciting career pathways for high school students, seasoned workers, and everyone in between. Our strong relationships with local employers provide networking opportunities at every stage of our alumni’s careers.
FTIUM programs include:
- Commercial Painter
- Coating Application Specialist
- Drywall Finisher
- Glazier
- Glassworker
- Sign Technician
- Associate of Applied Science Degree: Construction Technologies
Since its founding in 2004, the school has grown significantly:
- 2010 – The Coating Application Specialist program was developed.
- 2014 – FTIUM went through accreditation with the Council on Occupational Education (COE).
- 2015 – The Sign Technician program was developed.
- 2017 – The Associate of Applied Science in Construction Technologies degree was created for all union members.
- 2021 – FTIUM received institutional distance education approval from the COE to hold classes online to effectively offer the Associate of Applied Science in Construction Technologies degree to all District Council members.
- 2021 – FTIUM partnered with Helena College in Helena, Montana to offer FTIUM apprenticeships and degrees for union employees in Montana.
- 2022 – FTIUM launched the Finishing Trades Academy (FTA) for high school students.
The Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest has established referral and recruitment pipelines that foster equitable access to its educational programs. We continue to deepen our commitment to recruiting and retaining an inclusive student body to ensure that no student will be denied participation based on gender, race, national origin, color, disability, or age.
The Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest has made significant gains in diversity in recent years. Minnesota’s Department of Labor and Industry reporting recently reflected that 47.6% of the institution’s apprentices are women and/or people of color. This is illustrative of the school’s unmatched success at providing equity to future career candidates and its ability to impact a variety of underserved communities in the twin cities, Greater Minnesota, and Western Wisconsin.
Below are some steps the Finishing Trade Institute of the Upper Midwest will take to ensure equitable access to all technical and academic programming:
- Deliberately and prudently recruit students from a diverse array of community partners.
- Deliberately and prudently recruit students from a diverse array of area high schools from low socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Solicit and use constructive recommendations from new program contacts regarding ways to improve Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest equity in access and participation.