IKO Industries, a global manufacturer of roofing, insulating and waterproofing products, is in the midst of significant growth.
Headquartered in Canada, the company operates nearly 40 production facilities that manufacture products for customers in close to 100 countries. IKO employs between 4,000 and 4,500 workers worldwide at any given time.
“We’ve had a lot of expansion in the U.S. South and Southwest in the last decade plus,” said Derek Fee, IKO’s Director of Consumer and Corporate Affairs. “It’s close to a billion dollars in expansion that we have underway at the present time, most of it in the U.S.”
This rapid expansion has intensified an already pressing challenge: finding skilled trades professionals to support growing operations.
“The big problem we face is finding people in the skilled trades,” Fee explained. “There’s a lot of competition. It’s not always a buyer’s market, if you will, for finding people.”
To address this challenge, company leaders began developing a framework for a national apprenticeship program to recruit and retain highly skilled workers. When IKO officials learned that Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center’s (MAMC) Apprenticeship Works already offers a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)-approved framework — including for occupations in high demand at IKO — the company moved to implement the program across its 10 U.S. manufacturing facilities.
Apprenticeship Works supports companies nationwide in developing and implementing DOL-registered apprenticeships in high-demand advanced manufacturing occupations. Through the program, MAMC provides on-site train-the-trainer services, related online instruction, assistance with recordkeeping and serves as a liaison with the DOL. Services are provided at no cost to manufacturers through 2028 because Apprenticeship Works is funded entirely through a $7,103,847 grant from the DOL’s Office of Apprenticeship – Employment and Training Administration.
In recent months, the Apprenticeship Works team has traveled to IKO facilities in Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas and Washington state to support the rollout of registered apprenticeships in two critical occupations: Industrial Maintenance Mechanic – Millwright and Industrial Electrician – Millwright.
“Millwrights and electricians are two areas we struggle with,” Fee said. “Those occupations require more specialized knowledge in our facilities. Our equipment, our safety expectations, our production lines, our process control systems are very specific to our industry and some of the unique factors of how we manufacture products.”
That ability to tailor training to a company’s specific needs is one of the program’s primary advantages, said Heather Cooper, Apprenticeship Unit Director at MAMC. Rather than a one-size-fits-all model, the DOL framework allows MAMC to customize apprenticeships to align with each manufacturer’s operations. The model can be used both to train new hires and to upskill incumbent employees.
IKO is leveraging Apprenticeship Works for both purposes.
“Our key objectives are to upskill and promote internal talent where we have the opportunities to do so,” Fee said. “We also want to develop a pipeline for new trades people to join our business and improve our ability to attract and retain, on a long-term basis, the people that we bring in through the apprenticeship program.”
Like many manufacturers, IKO also is navigating the realities of an aging workforce. As experienced employees approach retirement, companies face the risk of losing decades of institutional knowledge. Apprenticeship Works provides a structured framework for transferring this expertise to the next generation through mentorship and hands-on training, Cooper explained.
“I think it’s endemic across the entire skilled trades environment that the people reaching retirement age are reaching it at a rate that’s faster than young people coming into those trades can replace,” Fee said. “The supply is not increasing as fast as the attrition is taking people away from the business, so it’s a tremendous challenge.”
As IKO’s U.S. expansion continues, Fee expects the company’s need for skilled talent to accelerate. After leadership evaluates the initial outcomes of its partnership with MAMC, additional apprenticeship pathways may follow.
“From everything our HR team as had to say, the partnership with MAMC is really a significant one for us,” he explained. “It’s a partnership that we very much value. We want the program to be sustainable. These are important positions for us. There’s a lot of opportunity for growth and advancement within our operations. The need isn’t going to get smaller, it’s only going to grow.”
Cooper said the Apprenticeship Works team is eager to support a dynamic and growing manufacturer like IKO.
“A strong manufacturing sector demands highly skilled workers. Apprenticeship Works provides companies of all sizes – from Fortune 500 companies to small mom-and-pop manufacturing operations with the tools they need to develop a modern 21st century workforce.”
To learn more about Apprenticeship Works, visit www.mfg.marshall.edu/apprenticeships. For a no-obligation consultation about how the program can benefit your manufacturing operation, contact Cooper at or 304-720-7741.
Feb. 26, 2026
