Masonry Magazine June 2012 Page. 26
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Programs at the workshop update instructors on the latest information for their programs, including Programs of Study, new instructor pre-requisite requirements, and articulation agreements with post-secondary institutions.
The purpose of the workshop is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and assistance for teaching young men and women to have the best possible skills for entrance into the workplace or for post-secondary education. Some of the topics addressed over the years included Masonry Business and Employability Skills, Creative Student Incentives and Competency Checklists, Safety on the Job Site and in the Classroom, Certification Programs for Vo-Tech Schools, Masonry Fireplaces, Grout & Mortar, Training to Judge Masonry Competitions, Recruitment, Program of Study and Testing Roundtable with PA Department of Education and NOCTI, Restoration with Masonry.
Masonry Instructors Association of Pennsylvania
At the 2007 WORKSHOP, PCMA lead a discussion about the possibility of forming the Masonry Instructors Association of Pennsylvania (MIAP). The instructors voted unanimously to create this association, which runs as a committee of PCMA, to give them a stronger voice with the PA Department of Education as well as the NOCTI testing agency and other entities that can impact masonry education. The PCMA Board approved, and the new association has been in existence since then and has autonomy within their program of work and budget. The chairman of the PCMA Workforce Development Committee is designated member and the PCMA executive director is the administrator.
The result of the formation of MIAP has been overwhelming in several ways:
* The number of instructors who are members (31 at this time) and how they have networked with each other
* Administrations who regard MIAP as a valuable opportunity
* The PA Department of Education recognizing this unified group with a strong voice for masonry.
The Voice of the Masonry Industry
In The News
Alabama Workforce Development Initiative
Following the success of Go Build Alabama, the Alabama Workforce Development Initiative has expanded its recruitment program to Georgia in partnership with the Georgia Governor's Office of Workforce Development. Go Build aims to enhance the image of the skilled craft trades and recruit the next generation of workers, with an emphasis on industrial and commercial construction careers.
On Jan. 17, 2012, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal announced plans to launch Go Build Georgia, which will build on the success of Go Build Alabama, launched in August of 2010. Both recruitment programs are partnering with Mike Rowe, executive producer and host of Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs," and his MikeRoweWorks.com initiative. Rowe's website and foundation call attention to the growing skills gap, while providing a comprehensive resource for anyone looking to investigate a career in the skilled trades.
The Alabama Workforce Development Initiative, a 501c3 created to develop a successful recruitment program for skilled craft trade labor, worked to establish the Go Build brand with the goal of expanding it across the South and beyond. Go Build aims to address current and forecasted needs in skilled labor. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics Current Population Study, more than one-third of skilled tradesmen are older than age 50. For every three tradesmen who retire, only one is in the education pipeline to replace them.
Bob Woods, executive director of AWDI, says his organization hopes to develop partnerships with additional states to combat this looming shortage with a common message Go Build. Woods says that, while AWDI set the wheels in motion for the development and expansion of Go Build, each state program is operated by local organizations. Go Build Alabama is managed by the Alabama Construction Recruitment Institute and Go Build Georgia is a project of the Office of Workforce Development.
Go Build has been endorsed officially by the Construction Users Roundtable (CURT), an international organization founded by construction and engineering executives representing major corporations all across the globe, as their image enhancement and recruiting program. The initiative is a labor-neutral program.
Woods says CURT's endorsement along with Go Build's partnership with Mike Rowe and its track record of success to date give Go Build the foundation it needs to continue expanding in the months and years to come. IMAS