A more than $1 million investment in the Ironworkers Local 8 training center in Harvey will expand skilled trades training capacity in the Upper Peninsula, helping prepare workers for careers in construction, infrastructure, manufacturing and other industries.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded $801,598 to the Ironworkers Local 8 Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee for new training equipment. Combined with $200,399 in matching funds from the Ironworkers and Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local 2, the project represents a total investment of $1,001,997.
The award will support the purchase of industrial cranes, forklifts, a plasma table, an ironworker machine, outdoor training modules and a concrete finisher training package.
The investment builds upon a major commitment already made by the Ironworkers in the Upper Peninsula. In 2024, Local 8 completed a new 17,000-square-foot, $5.5 million training center in Harvey. The new equipment will expand hands-on training at the facility while supporting a partnership between the Ironworkers and Bricklayers to establish Harvey as a multi-trade training center.
“This grant is an incredible investment not only in Ironworkers Local 8, but in the future of the skilled trades throughout the entire Upper Peninsula,” said Charlie Falkner, Business Manager for Ironworkers Local 8. “When we made the commitment to build this training center in Harvey, our vision was much bigger than simply putting up a building. We wanted to create a place where our apprentices could learn their trade, where our journeymen could continue developing their skills and certifications, and where other building trades could come together to train the next generation of skilled ironworkers.”
Once the new equipment is in place, Local 8 anticipates training up to 350 apprentices each year. The equipment will give apprentices and journeyworkers hands-on experience with the types of tools and machinery they encounter on jobsites, while allowing more specialized training to take place within the Upper Peninsula.
“For Harvey and the greater Marquette area, this is another investment in jobs, opportunity and economic development. For the Upper Peninsula, it means more training can happen right here at home instead of requiring workers to travel hundreds of miles to receive it,” Falkner said. “And for our contractors and end users, it means having a larger, safer and better-trained workforce ready to build and maintain the mines, mills, power facilities, bridges, infrastructure and future projects that keep the U.P. moving forward.”
According to the project application, the investment is projected to support the creation of 110 jobs, retain 180 existing jobs and leverage approximately $5.6 million in private investment.
“This is exactly the kind of investment we want to see in the Upper Peninsula,” said Ryan Soucy, Senior Economic Development Planner with CUPPAD. “It gives people more opportunities to build good careers here, while making sure we have the skilled workforce to take on the projects coming our way. The skilled trades are a huge part of our regional economic development strategy, and the fact that more of this training can happen right here in the U.P. makes this a really exciting investment for the region.”
The project supports the Central Upper Peninsula Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), which identifies workforce development, occupational training and stronger partnerships between education and industry as regional priorities. CUPPAD serves as the EDA-designated Economic Development District for the six-county Central Upper Peninsula region.
The award was made through EDA’s Economic Adjustment Assistance program under its Assistance to Coal Communities initiative. The project application identified the 2019 closure of the Presque Isle Power Plant and the loss of approximately 70 family sustaining jobs as one of the economic disruptions affecting the region.
“We are extremely grateful to the Economic Development Administration for believing in this project and in the people of the Upper Peninsula,” Falkner said. “Local 8 has been part of building this region for generations, and this investment will help ensure that Ironworkers and all of our brothers and sisters in the building trades are prepared to continue building it for generations to come.”
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