NWA & WCA form partnership

The National Woods Board (NWB) and the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America (WCA) have announced a strategic partnership aimed at advancing the next generation of professional woodworkers in North America.

This collaboration underscores both organizations' commitment to aligning educational programs with industry standards, promoting career opportunities, and cultivating talent within the woodwork sector, according to statement from the WCA.

The NWB will incorporate the WCA’s skill standards and credentialing program in the woodworking curriculum it is preparing for use by high school and post-secondary woodworking programs.

The five-year agreement also calls for the NWB and WCA to promote each other’s programs to raise awareness among schools and industry.

To kick off the partnership, the two groups are laying the groundwork for a pilot program. High school woodworking instructors throughout the country are being invited to try out the NWB’s Foundations in Woods Manufacturing 1 curriculum that incorporates the WCA skill standards and credentialing system, in their programs this fall. The objective of the pilot program is to receive instructors' feedback that can be used to help further refine the curriculum and make it even more scalable. Instructors interested in learning more about potentially participating in the trial should contact Amanda Conger, executive director of the NWB, director@nationalwoodsboard.org.