Masonry Magazine October 2004 Page. 40
News
News continued from page 37 effort to get city residents employed in the city's redevelopment. Ron Green, the program director for ACP, said those who graduate from its 16-week training course are exposed to a number of different construction trades, ranging from masonry to painting to electrical.
Classes include training in basic life skills, a heavy emphasis on math, and even real-life experience on a house built and rebuilt inside a local warehouse.
North Carolina
Reported by The Herald-Sun, "Northwood team gets high marks," Aug 8, 2004: ...Peyton Holland, a 2004 graduate of Northwood and a masonry student, was elected National Vice President, becoming one of five SkillsUSA national officers for 2004-05. Holland, who has served as the president of North Carolina SkillsUSA for the past year, was the state winner in the job interview competition.
Ohio
Reported by the Marion Star, "Marion represented in list of best Workers' Compensation compliance and list of worst," Aug. 8, 2004: The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation recently recognized the extremes that exist among the employers it serves. Marion is the home of Quality Masonry Co. Inc., one of six employers presented by the bureau with the 2004 Governor's Excellence Award in Workers' Compensation.
Bill Bowers, president of Quality Masonry, said his company understands the worth of the workers' compensation system. "Our accidents have dropped significantly over the years," Bowers said. "We do better claim management. We recognize workers' compensation is a very important part of our business. It has to be."
He's excited about Quality Masonry being one of six employers out of 280,000 in the state to be honored.
Washington
The Masonry Institute of Washington (MIW) has made a call for entries for its 2004 Excellence in Masonry Design Awards. Judging will be on October 23 and the banquet on November 29. For more information about MIW, please visit www.masonryinstitute.org.
Note: Please send any local, state or regional news to Jennie Farmsworth at jen@lionhrtpub.com or c/o Lionheart Publishing, Inc., 506 Roswell St., Suite 220, Marietta, Ga. 30060.
DOL Announces English Proficiency Study
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced $600,000 for a study of the level of English proficiency that various employers require of their Hispanic workforce. The study, the fourth activity funded under the National Hispanic Worker Initiative, will be conducted by HMA Associates Inc. in partnership with the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce.
"This administration wants to help Hispanic workers succeed in the workforce," says Chao. "One of the most valuable work skills is knowing how to speak the language. This survey will help the Department hone in on what we need to do to help Hispanic workers more."
The U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce Cultural and Education Foundation will identify survey sites, representing communities with large numbers of Hispanics or major Spanish-speaking population growth over the last decade. The sites will also include a diverse number of high-growth industries, as identified by the President's High Growth Job Training Initiative, which includes construction.
The study will engage employer members of the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce to determine the level of