The International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades conducts a 2-year apprenticeship program for drywall finishers. Employers prefer high school graduates who are in good physical condition, but they frequently hire applicants with less education. High school or vocational school courses in carpentry provide a helpful background for drywall work. Regardless of educational background, installers must be good at simple arithmetic. Drywall workers and lathers with a few years' experience and leadership ability may become supervisors.
Some workers start their own contracting businesses.
Job Outlook Replacement needs will account for almost all job openings for drywall workers and lathers through the year 2005. Tens of thousands of jobs will open up each year because of the need to replace workers who transfer to jobs in other occupations or leave the labor force. Turnover in this occupation is very high, reflecting the lack of formal training requirements and the ups and downs of the business cycle to which the construction industry is very sensitive. Because of their relatively weak attachment to the occupation, many workers with limited skills leave the occupation when they find they dislike the work or because they can't find steady employment. Additional job openings will be created by the rising demand for drywall work.