Masonry Magazine January 2001 Page. 60
Many organizations perpetuate these traditions, including the union, safety associations, training centers, contractor associations, and engineers and architects.
The current system of certification represents a core strength. The study found certified workers to be more mobile, work longer hours, have better basic skills, broader work experience, and more depth in some key areas.
The study confirms the depth of the skills of certified workers in core areas of the trade like walls and foundations. These skills are supported by established apprenticeship programs and upgrade training systems. But these strengths are being eroded by many factors including the recession, new and competing products, demographic trends and some government policies.
WEAKNESSES
The study finds that there are some weaknesses that need immediate attention. Perhaps the most fundamental of these is the status of masonry products themselves. Contractors, suppliers and workers all confirm that these products are losing market share to competing materials including prefabricated products, customized and low cost claddings. Further, there is inadequate industry support and promotion for masonry based materials in the face of well-organized competition.
Human resource concerns are at the core of the study. Here the dominant weaknesses are the high average age of the work force and the associated risk that large numbers of skilled workers will leave the industry in the next ten to twenty years and not be replaced. Beyond this there is strong evidence that younger workers are not interested in certification and are more specialized in their experience.
To meet the immediate needs of the current recovery young, inexperienced, uncertified workers are entering the work force. These new workers will add to the substantial gaps in health and safety training in the current work force. There are further gaps in some specialized skills such as refractory and restoration work.
The need for trained masonry workers will fluctuate between dramatic peaks and troughs. Planning to sustain the quality and quantity of the workforce will be a major challenge.
Skill shortages are most easily resolved by mobility in the work force. Masonry trades show higher than average mobility among provinces and employers. But this mobility is concentrated in the older, certified workers who are leaving the trade. Mobility among work activities does not extend to refractory and restoration work and shortages threaten in these areas. Contractors commented that jurisdictional disputes and union hiring hall and other restrictions on mobility are also a concern.
In the longer term, the risk of shortages is best met by admitting more apprentices. But there are clear problems with the system. The national study and other sources document a high drop-out rate among apprentices. There is also evidence that small, fragmented, specialized employers cannot offer the needed breadth of training to apprentices. Federal withdrawal from direct funding of training and provincial apprenticeship reviews are reducing the funding and fragmenting the system. As these changes appeared during the 1990s, it was agreed that industry leadership was needed. But inadequate communication, limited opportunities and interest in industry participation on Provincial Advisory Committees (or Trade Advisory Committees) have restricted involvement.
This mix of demographics and market conditions has also contributed to a shortage of supervisory skills and workers willing to take on supervisory positions.
RISKS AND CHALLENGES
These weaknesses leave the industry vulnerable to several risks and challenges. Regaining market share is the highest priority goal. But there is a threat of a deterioration in the reputation of masonry construction because of poor quality work, accidents and absenteeism among young, uncertified and non-union workers.
Competing products may be given an advantage by objective based building codes that will replace prescriptive codes (that specify masonry in some applications) in 2003. This emerging deadline, adds another element of urgency to all the issues reported here.
Outside forces like higher taxes, subcontracting arrangements and competition are encouraging workers to seek self-employment or independent contractor status. Pressure to make this change often attracts workers with inadequate capital, experience, training and WCB coverage. This change is often the first step towards working in the underground economy where taxes, regulations and proper practices are avoided. These challenges threaten to further weaken apprenticeship, safety systems and the quality of masonry work.
The worker sample in the study revealed gaps in skills and work experience in both restoration and refractory work. There is concern that other trades and younger workers are gaining work in these areas at the expense of the masonry work force.
These issues can be reduced to two main challenges. The first is rebuilding the share of the construction market that is filled by masonry products and buildings. A very large group of industry players have a stake in this core matter. The second is adding to the number of certified masons to replace the coming loss to retirement and to reinforce the ranks of the new entrants where so many gaps are threatening.
These two basic challenges are linked. Designers will be reluctant to build with masonry products if they perceive a shortage of skilled workers to install the product. Success in the market will require, in its turn, a hu-