August 6

Building Experts: Apprenticeships & Workforce Development with Kelly and Mark

In this episode of Verify In Field, host Jacob Edmond sits down with Kelly Victor-Burke, co-owner of Burke Architectural Millwork, and Mark Smith, longtime educator and now brand ambassador for Microvellum, to dive deep into a topic shaping the future of our industry: registered apprenticeships.

From the challenges of finding and developing talent to creating a nationally recognized pathway for careers in woodworking and millwork, Kelly and Mark break down how the industry can solve its workforce crisis, one apprentice at a time.

This episode isn’t just about attracting young talent. It’s about building a sustainable future for woodworking by creating formal systems that train, certify, and empower the next generation.

About Our Guests

  • Kelly Victor Burke is a co-owner of Burke Architectural Millwork in Michigan and a passionate workforce advocate. She led the creation of the nation’s first Woodwork Manufacturing Specialist Registered Apprenticeship Program and was appointed by the U.S. Department of Labor as an official Apprenticeship Ambassador in 2022.
  • Mark Smith is a career educator with over 30 years of experience teaching industrial technology and wood programs. A former national director for WoodLINKS USA, Mark is now a brand ambassador for Microvellum, where he continues to advocate for training and apprenticeship pathways in woodworking.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

  1. Why social media and visibility matter for millwork recruitment: Explore how sharing your shop’s work online can attract young talent who might never consider woodworking without seeing it firsthand.
  2. Why registered apprenticeships matter in the woodworking industry: Learn how a formal Department of Labor apprenticeship isn’t just training. It’s a recognized, portable credential that acts like an associate degree.
  3. The story behind the first woodwork manufacturing specialist apprenticeship: Hear how Kelly Victor Burke and her team created a national framework to fill the skills gap in millwork.
  4. What the Woodwork Manufacturing Specialist program teaches: Discover how this apprenticeship combines CAD/CAM, CNC operation, cabinet building, coatings, and estimating—all tailored for architectural woodwork.
  5. How flexible apprenticeship frameworks work for any millwork shop: Find out how small to mid-size woodworking businesses can adapt these programs, dropping modules like CNC if needed or expanding project management.
  6. Why a new apprenticeship for woodworking installation is critical: Understand why Mark Smith and Kelly are developing a separate program focused on architectural millwork installation, tackling a gap no previous apprenticeship filled.
  7. The role of AI and emerging technology in wood industry apprenticeships: See how this next apprenticeship is future-proofed, integrating AI skills so your shop stays competitive and eligible for new federal workforce funding.
  8. How decades of lost shop classes and cultural bias against trades created today’s labor shortage: Get the bigger picture of why the woodworking workforce pipeline broke, and how registered apprenticeships help rebuild it.

Where to Learn More

Final Thoughts

Kelly says it best: “We’re not writing this apprenticeship for today. We’re writing it for the next 10 years.”

If your shop struggles to find or train people, this episode shows exactly how to start changing that: by investing in systems that build tomorrow’s experts.