Masonry Magazine August 1996 Page. 23
Check out Career in Masonry
Check out Career in Masonry was designed to be used in all of those situations.
This philosophy was applied to the design of the Masonry Training Series. We found that across the country there were a variety of programs available to train masons. There are apprenticeship programs, both union and non-union, there are high school programs, vocational center programs, community college programs, job corp programs and pre-apprenticeship programs.
The MCAA Masonry Training Series student text and Instructor's Guide was designed to be flexible enough to be used in all of these settings or in a combination of these settings, say for example pre-apprenticeship to apprenticeship or high-school to community college programs.
Second, we want to encourage contractors and other individuals within the industry who don't normally go out and speak to students, to make a point of promoting a career in masonry at least once a year. We certainly can't get people into the trade if they haven't ever heard about it. We also want to encourage the development of masonry training programs where none exist.
Q
How do you plan to do this?
Our recruitment kit is comprehensive enough that people can use it without too much additional supplemental material. Additionally, it includes some speaker presentation guidelines and hints to help those who don't do a lot of speaking. Based on the number of kits that we have sold, I would bet that this material has made it very easy to go out and talk about the masonry trade at career day fairs and in school classrooms. My hunch is that people who have hesitated to do this before are finding it very easy to do with the material we can provide them.
With regard to training programs, the MCAA can provide administrative support to areas or groups of contractors that are considering setting up training programs. However, I have to stress that while we do have instructional materials and administrative information and guidelines there must be commitment and involvement at the local level. There are many factors involved in setting up training programs and many of the solutions will vary from program to program. That is why it is essential to have a team of individuals with representation from educators, contractors and manufacturers work together to start and maintain a program. Anyone interested in learning about what it takes to start programs should call the MCAA office.
Q
OK, so you have released the recruitment materials, the Training Series is due out any day, the MCAA is developing a network of administrative support for establishing training programs, what's next?
Well, we do have plans for the future. These aren't in any specific order. First, we are continuing to encourage people in the industry to go out and talk about the masonry trade. Second, we encourage anyone interested in getting involved in training to call the MCAA office. One telephone call can link you to an amazing source of information. The network of contractors is very helpful. Third, we would like to, based on user feedback, add to our training materials. We have already begun to explore the idea of developing training videos to supplement our printed materials. We are also exploring the idea of implementing a nationwide data-base to register masons. Its purpose would be to assist contractors in locating experienced masons and for masons to find work. Sort of like a job placement service. Ultimately, we would like our training curriculum to serve as a national standard for the masonry industry. We realize that the thought of supporting a three-year training program may seem very daunting. We have tried to make that easier. Our materials have been constructed so that they are flexible. One idea would be for high schools and Community Colleges to coordinate curriculum so that students would cover volume one of our series while in high school and then move on to volumes 2 and 3 at the community college level. The same goes for coordinating a pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship program. Either way, the student completes a comprehensive apprenticeship program.
I know it seems like a huge commitment, to start students on a three-year program when you need help right now. But remember, the students of today are tomorrow's foremen, project managers, superintendents and ultimately future company owners. We owe it to the future of the industry to send them out well prepared.
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