Masonry Magazine August 1996 Page. 7
FROM THE PRESIDENT
If you ever came home from work on a hot and muggy day, wanting to shower, have a cool one, and just kick back until supper was ready, then you can identify with me on this particular day.
I turned on the T.V. to watch the evening news with Tom Brokaw, and after being depressed watching all the gloom and doom, as referenced from White Water, to the Freemans of Montana to Travelgate, the final segment really got my attention. It showed graduates from across the country in varying colors of caps and gowns on different campuses, and commencement speakers pontificating words of encouragement. I was touched, in fact a little tear came to my eye, I don't know if it was from nostalgia having seen our five sons go through commencements such as these or if it was from the joy I saw in these young peoples eyes on their accomplishments. It really got to me when I saw students with signs saying, "Thanks Mom & Dad", "We're off the doles", "We'll pay you back someday". But all the commencement speakers had essentially the same message..... Now your education starts.
It doesn't matter if they are graduating from a college, a trade school, or apprenticeship school, their education is just starting. We all know that the job must be learned through training and education. This is called The Real World.
Whatever the future may hold for our graduates of today an accountant or engineer, an artist or architect, a broker or a bricklayer, they have been schooled to be creative thinkers. Now we as employers must continue this educational process to make sure we have a trained and qualified workforce. We are now the educators.
Employers are having problems hiring people with a strong work ethic and an ability to learn the ropes. Employers are taking steps to meet their needs by working closely with community colleges and technical and trade schools by arranging customized training to upgrade workers.
We as contractors take on this responsibility, but what chance do we have to get a good qualified workforce if we can't get our contractors to be part of this educational process. After all, we as contractors are the "ULTIMATE RESPONSIBLE PARTY." We are the ones responsible for having skilled craftsmen, using materials meeting specifications for a finished quality product.
Reg Miller, Chairman of an ASTM task group on "Standard Practice on Acceptable Masonry Workmanship", recently wrote an open letter to the Mason Contractors in which he asks us if we want to be a major player in the masonry system. Do we want to be part of the decision making process, and if we are tired of other segments of our industry determining how we should do our job?
Should we as Mason Contractors not be involved with the development of codes and standards, training of our workers, market development, specifications input after all are we not the "ULTIMATE RESPONSIBLE PARTY."
We are responsible for training our workforce!!
We are responsible for using specified materials!!
We are responsible to know applicable codes and standards!!
We are responsible for the accepted product!!
If you are doing business today the same way we did yesterday and the day before then we have problems. We can't accept the excuse "We've been doing it this way for years." After all it's not your father's Oldsmobile. We as Mason Contractors must become involved and pro-active.