Many Newtown residents are familiar with Kling Brothers Builders, a carpentry company located at 103 South Main Street. Kling Brothers, however, is stepping up to offer the community a different type of opportunity.

Those who are skilled in trades, like plumbing, mechanics, and carpentry, must complete rigorous on-the-job training and education classes to ensure they are adequately prepared for the trade. Keith Kling, owner of Kling Brothers Builders, has been steadily working with Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), to build up the apprenticeship opportunities throughout the state. Now, after 40 years of business, the apprenticeship program has fully formed and is part of the Connecticut Department of Labor and Connecticut Construction Education Center.

Kling Brothers offers new apprentices a ten-year contract opportunity, which allows apprentices the three-to-five-year period in which they take classes, and they are then offered a job after completion of the program.

Kling said of ABC, “It is the merit side of our industry … They consider themselves the merit side of it because you don’t have to buy your way in or have a family member to get into the Union. You’re just gonna do it on your own. You’re going to achieve your own goals, and you’re going to figure out a way to make it all work on your own, where the Union is a little bit different. Everybody is equal in the Union, nobody works harder than anybody else.”

Kling admitted that while he lived that for a little while, he believed it could hold workers back on jobsites sometimes. He believes that if someone works hard, they should be rewarded for that hard work and “move up the ranks.”

Kling’s son, Kyle, informed Kling he was interested in getting into the family business. Kyle was the first apprentice Kling Brothers Builders took in. Though Kyle “didn’t love school,” Kling said “he excelled in this. He was top of his class.” Now, Kyle is vice president of the company and running all outside project managing. Kling’s other son, Kory, took a similar route. Kory was studying mechanics for a while, but decided to shift into carpentry and is now working alongside Kling and his brother.

While Kling acknowledged the harsh environments carpenters can work in, he did note that “age doesn’t matter for us.”

“There is nobody in these generations that really [is] interested in doing that task, especially when you tell them that they’re going to work all day and then go to school at night,” Kling said.

Kling added, “We believe in opening doors, fostering opportunity, and giving the next generation the same chance to build a meaningful, lifelong career that our family has cherished for decades.” He also shared that carpentry allows people to be part of something “bigger than they could ever imagine,” adding that there is nothing better than stepping back and admiring what was built with one’s own two hands.

Currently, Kling Brothers Builders has two apprentices that are “doing well,” according to Kling. Seth Naramore and Eddie Barbosa are both about a year and a half into their apprenticeships and Kling is proud to see how far they have come. He noted their work ethic and willingness to learn and help on all jobs.

“We had a couple of other kids that came in, but never finished,” Kling said. Circling back to the ten-year contract, Kling said it came about because he, as a business owner, is “investing” in these apprentices. Carpentry, like many other trades, boils down to character. Project managers need their laborers to continuously produce good work because, as Kling said a few times, “this is my livelihood.” The future of securing jobs rests on consistent high-quality work with a kind, polite attitude towards customers. The apprenticeship program teaches all of that.

Kling Brothers is one of the few carpentry businesses in the area that offers an apprenticeship program like this, though there are others around the state. The contract through Kling Brothers allows students to continue their education if they want, or to start working once their program is complete.

Kling shared that he is looking to take on two more apprentices next summer. He emphasized those who apply should have a good grasp on responsibility and good character.

“There’s a place [parents] can send children, young men or women, to have a goal for their life and set a career that doesn’t have to be college-bound,” Kling said. “I believe that our program is harder than any college program that’s out there just because of the physical and mental aspects that are so demanding in this industry. And it only takes certain people to do it … if they want to be part of a growing business, that’s the way to start: at the bottom.”

For more information about Kling Brothers Builders or to learn more about its Carpenter Apprentice Training Program, go to klingbrothersbuilders.com.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.