John Burcaw, Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Tutorial Schooling on the Ending Trades Institute of the Higher Midwest (FTIUM), has been a driving power in integrating psychological well being and substance misuse training into apprenticeship applications. FTIUM is affiliated with District Council #82 of the Worldwide Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT). His strategy emphasizes the necessity to help the “entire employee,” reflecting his deep dedication to offering a well-rounded training for apprentices within the development business.
Burcaw’s work at FTIUM extends past his title. Reflecting on his journey, he shared, “I moved to Minnesota to be half of one thing larger than myself. I needed to lend my lived experiences as an professional within the administration of registered apprenticeship and as a previously incarcerated addict who has been sober for so long as I’ve been married.” His private dedication to restoration and serving to others shines by in each aspect of his work.
A Cultural Shift in Psychological Well being Assist
John Burcaw, Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Tutorial Schooling on the Ending Trades Institute of the Higher MidwestEnding Trades Institute of the Higher Midwest
Burcaw usually expresses appreciation for the management of Bob Swanson, who helped drive collaboration between contractors and IUPAT in creating Serving to Hand. Now retired, Swanson was the former President of portray contractor Swanson & Youngdale. Swanson has overtly shared the lack of his son Michael to suicide that helped construct consciousness among the many ending trades group.
The FTIUM Care Group is not only a service; it’s a cultural shift. The Care Group provides counseling, responds to crises, supplies instructional programming, and advocates for apprentices. “We didn’t simply wish to educate exhausting abilities. We needed to educate the entire individual,” Burcaw shared. “That’s what units us aside from different institutes and makes us a frontrunner within the discipline.”
FTIUM’s holistic strategy extends past the classroom to make sure college students are geared up with the instruments they should thrive professionally and personally. “We prepare not only for technical excellence but in addition to foster empathy and resilience,” John defined. Via applications like Altering the Tradition of Building, apprentices be taught to confront points reminiscent of office abuse, melancholy, and substance misuse. This program helps mildew apprentices into not solely expert employees, but in addition compassionate leaders who can contribute to a more healthy, safer work atmosphere. 
Outreach is important to connecting with the youthful technology, in 2024 the FTIUM attended 43 profession festivals. Chanay Huff, business painter and John Burcaw throughout a neighborhood profession honest.Ending Trades Institute of the Higher Midwest
Accessible Well being Providers & Hurt Discount Initiatives
Along with providing instructional programs, the FTIUM Care Group supplies essential well being companies. In accordance with knowledge from the FTIUM Care Group, complete well being screenings embrace evaluations for behavioral well being, bodily well being, dietary well being, and social service wants. Of these screened final spring, 22 % continued to obtain care, together with counseling and care coordination companies. This knowledge displays a rising pattern, with 124 college students using companies in 2024—a rise from 94 in 2023. The optimistic suggestions has been overwhelming, with college students usually sharing, “I really feel supported and accepted.” These numbers underscore the vital want for accessible psychological well being assets within the development business and the success of FTIUM’s efforts to interrupt down the obstacles to care.
A singular characteristic of FTIUM is the inclusion of hurt discount and first prevention methods in its curriculum. Burcaw’s management in incorporating naloxone (Narcan) administration coaching and fentanyl take a look at strips into this system has been transformative. “We offer naloxone kits in each classroom, and we’ve educated our instructors to make use of it within the occasion of an overdose. It’s not nearly saving lives; it’s about making a tradition of empathy and openness,” Burcaw mentioned.
This daring stance has drawn help from IUPAT District Council 82. Burcaw famous, “They perceive the gravity of the state of affairs and are deeply dedicated to making sure the protection and well-being of our members.” The inclusion of fentanyl take a look at strips and naloxone kits was not with out some concern. Nonetheless, Burcaw emphasised that these instruments are important to combating the overdose disaster within the development business. 
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (Minnesota) and John BurcawEnding Trades Institute of the Higher Midwest
Constructing a Extra Compassionate and Resilient Workforce
FTIUM’s dedication extends past hurt discount by addressing broader considerations reminiscent of childcare, housing assets, monetary assist, and psychological well being supplier searches. This complete strategy ensures that apprentices and employees can entry the help they should navigate each private {and professional} challenges.
The union hopes to alter the tradition on jobsites by equipping employees with the instruments to identify warning indicators of disaster amongst their coworkers. The union’s college has began a four-hour course, Altering the Tradition of Building, accessible to all 3,500 members and taking place after work hours. The coursework offers employees instruments to develop compassion and empathy. They be taught methods to provoke powerful conversations that can save lives and assist get one another the healthcare they want by the FTIUM Care Group.
FTIUM serves a variety of scholars, with round 240 apprentices and three,500 journeypersons attending applications every 12 months. The institute’s dedication to psychological well being training and substance misuse help goes past its conventional function of coaching expert employees. “We wish to make sure that our college students not solely acquire the abilities they should excel of their trades however are additionally geared up to deal with the challenges life might throw their approach,” Burcaw mentioned.
The inclusion of psychological well being and substance misuse training is essential within the context of the development business, which has lengthy struggled with excessive charges of substance abuse and suicide. Burcaw’s give attention to making a secure, supportive atmosphere the place employees can search assist with out stigma makes a big distinction. “Building employees are disproportionately affected by these points in contrast to different industries, and we will’t proceed to disregard the toll it takes on employees,” he mentioned.
The FTIUM Care Group is a key element of this effort, providing employees and apprentices entry to free counseling, psychological well being first-aid programs, and substance use companies. In accordance with the press launch from DC 82, the initiative goals to cut back the stigma surrounding psychological well being care and encourage employees to hunt assist when wanted. The Care Group additionally provides well being consultations and serves as a useful resource for struggling union members. 
John Burcaw educating college students on the institute’s Ending Trades Academy which embrace the trades business painter, industrial painter, drywall finisher, glazier, and glassworker.Ending Trades Institute of the Higher Midwest
Within the male-dominated discipline of development, psychological well being challenges usually go unaddressed as a consequence of worry of judgment or emasculation–however the FTIUM Care Group is working to alter that. As Burcaw mentioned, “A few of our employees are beginning to get up to our business’s historic poisonous masculinity and the way it hurts them and their friends. They’re starting to acknowledge the immense energy that comes with speaking about your struggles. We’re proud to be a part of this essential shift within the development business.”
FTIUM’s work is not only about addressing instant wants but in addition about creating lasting change within the development business’s tradition. By empowering apprentices and employees with the instruments they have to thrive mentally, emotionally, and professionally, FTIUM helps to construct a more healthy, extra compassionate workforce.
As the development business grapples with the continuing overdose disaster, initiatives like these at FTIUM are serving to to shift the tradition and save lives. John Burcaw’s work is a testomony to the energy of management, compassion, and a dedication to the well being and well-being of all employees. SAFE Challenge, which shares these values and promotes hurt discount in workplaces, is proud to help initiatives just like the FTIUM Care Group that save lives and construct a more healthy future for employees within the development business.
