Report of the MCAA Education Committee Words: Danks BurtonLive Webinar SeriesThe MCAA’s Live Webinar Series continued to grow in 2017, building on the success from previous years. Over 2,000 attendees registered for nearly sixty courses last year. Over 1,000 attended the live presentations. Topics ranged from OSHA investigations and jobsite safety to quality assurance and business success for masons.Nearly every webinar in 2017 was offered at no charge to both MCAA members and non-members. The free webinars allowed the MCAA to collect vital information on which topics are important to mason contractors, and create custom marketing programs to target specific contractors about upcoming opportunities. Additionally, the MCAA was able to obtain valuable contact information from non-members to promote membership to their companies.Industry suppliers and manufacturers will be able to sponsor webinars throughout 2018. Sponsorship opportunities include:$250 Members / $500 Non-Members to sponsor one individual webinar$750 Members / $1,000 Non-Members to host one specialty webinar$2,000 Members / $2,500 Non-Members to sponsor five individual webinars, and host two specialty webinarsAll sponsors will be thanked during the webinar and their logo will be displayed at the beginning of each session. Sponsors will also have access to the registered attendee list for webinars they host or sponsor.Visit www.masoncontractors.org/live to view a list of upcoming webinars for 2018.Best Practices SeminarThe Education Committee is working to complete the development of the Best Practices Seminar (formerly the Masonry Quality Institute). The course will feature eight, two-hour segments including:Quality AssuranceHuman ResourcesCoordination and Teaming with Other TradesBest Masonry Processes and PracticesSales and Marketing of Your Company and the IndustryBest Business Management PracticesBest and Most Efficient Equipment PracticesEngineered MasonryThe segments will be taught by mason contractors. The seminar will be offered during future MCAA Conventions and individually online as webinars.Detail VideosThe Education Committee is looking into the development of short videos that focus on details of the jobsite. Suggested topics include:Covering WallsFlashingMaterial HandlingMixing and Retempering Mortar by HandProper LiftingThese videos will be produced in conjunction with Masonry and will likely be included with a written piece. The videos will be available on both the MCAA and Masonry websites.Spanish TranslationMasonry magazine published multiple articles in Spanish throughout 2017. Additional technical talks and safety toolbox talks will be translated in the near future.The Year AheadThe Education Committee will continue to provide top quality education programs to mason contractors and work to develop new courses for the masonry industry.