Masonry Magazine December 1999 Page. 9
Training and Recruitment
An Industry Report Card
Ask any mason contractor for the most critical issues facing the masonry industry today and training and recruiting will be listed among them. In fact in 1992, the U.S. Department of Labor projected that by the year 2005, the entire construction industry will face a shortage of 1 million skilled workers and another study in 1996 continued to support that data.
For several years now, the Mason Contractors Association of America has made training and recruiting a top priority. The MCAA instituted a national Masonry Career Day and the fourth annual Masonry Career Day is scheduled for March 3, 2000. The MCAA also created a booklet entitled "Setting up a Recruitment and Training Program" which is available at no charge to any mason contractor who wants one. In addition, the MCAA continues to offer "Check Out a Career in Masonry" kits, free "Career Day Survival Kits," and has expanded the Resource Catalog to include training videos and books which complement the MCAA's Masonry Training Series.
However, recruitment efforts and training programs will not be successful if they are only instituted at a national level. A major effort must be implemented at the local level as well. Fortunately, many contractors and masonry instructors in various parts of the country have already begun.