Masonry Magazine February 1999 Page. 57
Contractors Involvement
Continued from page 7
The process of convincing our country's youth, as well as their parents, that the masonry industry offers solid career opportunities won't be easy. Recruitment takes years. Years of going back to the same local schools, time and again to conduct career days and career fairs. We can't just go once and expect a rush of quality young people to flock to our trade. The recruitment process even needs to begin in the grade schools, to sixth, seventh and eighth graders with interactive hands on career activities. Putting the trowel in the student's hands and having fun. Then it takes years of meeting parents and guidance councilors at career fairs to educate them as well.
Many times, conducting career days is like talking to a brick wall. You're never sure if you are getting through. But we need to sustain our efforts until we've slowly convinced a generation that careers in construction and masonry is a great career, one worth pursuing.
I have had some mason contractors tell me that they have personally conducted numerous career days in local high schools to no avail. But for decades we have ignored our recruitment and training. We can't be so naive to think that we could change decades of neglect with just a few career days. One thing is for certain, if we commit ourselves as contractors to get active, next years crop will be better than this years. Five years from now, it will be better than next year and the next decade will be better still. But it won't work without the mason contractor.
Get active, get involved, and get into the schools!
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MASONRY-JANUARY/FEBRUARY, 1999 53