Masonry Magazine August 1996 Page. 22
Recruitment & Training
Continued from page 9
Doug, the MCAA made a public commitment to address the recruitment and training needs of this industry about 2 years ago. Give us a brief summary of how the commitment came about.
As the only national trade association that represents mason contractors, it seemed natural that we would become involved in recruitment and training of new masons. After all, our members have a vested interest in having a well trained labor force. As an association, our Board of Directors knew that as an industry, we were retiring more masons than we were training. If we couldn't recruit and train quality masons, we were going to see our market share continue to erode. The issue wasn't whether or not we should get involved, it was rather how and to what degree. Financial backing for our involvement was also a consideration. However, the results of the 1995 Industry Study convinced us, as well as our allied associations, that we couldn't continue to wait. We really had to get involved.
Before you go any further, can you summarize this industry study. Who did it, why was it done, and what were the results.
Certainly. As you may know, brick manufacturers, block manufacturers, distributors and masons, are all linked in some way. Associations representing each facet of the masonry industry collectively covered the cost of a comprehensive study of the masonry industry. Together, the Brick Institute of America, Portland Cement Association, National Concrete Masonry Association, National Association of Brick Distributors and the MCAA pooled their resources to get as thorough a picture as they could of the state of recruitment and training in the masonry industry. Two of the most prevalent results of the study were the figures concerning the difference between the amount of masons we are losing, as an industry, to retirement and general attrition and the number of new masons entering the trade. According to those figures, we are not replacing the individuals we are losing. Moreover, the training programs around the country vary considerably with regard to length of time, topics covered, the integration of actual on-the-job training and performance standards. After the study, the MCAA Board of Directors, with the support of many industry trade associations, decided it was time to go forward.
When you say decided to go forward - what exactly does that mean?
The Board of Directors put together a strategic plan regarding the type of involvement the MCAA would have with recruitment and training. That plan involved hiring a Director of Education and having that individual oversee the design and development of recruitment and training materials. The recruitment materials, (see "Check out a Career in Masonry") were released last October and have been extremely well accepted. Our three volume Masonry Training Series is due to be released this summer.
You talk only about materials? What about training centers? Is the MCAA going to set up training centers around the country?
Absolutely not. We do not have the resources to support setting up training centers around the country. Besides there are enough regional and local differences in the industry to make it more effective for centers to be established at the local level. Instead we have followed a two-tiered approach. First, we wanted to produce materials that would be useful to people who are currently involved in recruiting and training individuals. There are several different avenues available to use in recruiting people into the trade and