Masonry Magazine March 2002 Page. 24
So, your child wants to become a BRICKLAYER.
The Fastest Trowel on the Block competition pits journeymen in a test of speed and skill. Jeff Goebel from Sutter Masonry has proven his expertise, winning the contest several times in the past few years.
The number of schools offering Skills USA-VICA masonry programs is important to our industry's future workforce development.
We must not be content with just training our future masons; we must become involved with training those individuals that teach our future masons. The MCAA has increased its support of the National Masonry Instructors Association, an organization that is dedicated to increasing the capabilities of masonry instructors. We have become involved in assisting this group in establishing a quality national conference where masonry instructors from around the country can come together to learn from each other on how to conduct quality masonry training programs.
Simply providing the best training programs with the best instructors is not the entire answer to the future development of our workforce. We must convince the parents of our future workforce that a career in masonry is worthwhile. We have spearheaded the development of an informational brochure.
The Masonry Skills Challenge features apprentices from the U.S. and Canada competing to be world champion. Pictured is last year's first place winner in the third-year skill level, Jose Herrera, from L.F. Jennings, Inc.
24 MASONRY MARCH, 2002