Masonry Magazine October 1997 Page. 9
By Connie Kitzinger
Director of Education
Introduction
In 1992 the U.S. Department of Labor projected that by the year 2005 the entire construction industry would face a shortage of 1 million skilled workers.
In 1992, the Mason Contractors Association of America began taking the steps necessary to address the issue of recruitment and training in the masonry industry. By approving plans to hire a Director of Education, the board set in motion the actions that would move contractors from passive receipients of whatever labor was available to active participants in the training and recruitment process.
In 1996 the U.S. Department of Labor issued occupational projections and training data information that continued to support the original 1992 data.
By 1996 the MCAA had produced recruitment material, instructional material and planned the first national Masonry Career Day. That year, the July issue of Masonry magazine published an article on work force development. The article outlined the MCAA's pivotal role in the industry and the association's vision for contractor involvement in work-force development. Members around the country were hearing the MCAA's message that "Quality Workmanship requires Quality Training and Quality Training requires contractor involvement".
Now, in 1997, the Department of Labor has yet to release any updated statistics. However, local training activity among MCAA member contractors is continually increasing.
Due to the efforts of the MCAA and its training partners, the Brick Institute of America, The National Concrete Masonry Association, The Portland Cement Association and The Expanded Slate, Clay and Shale Institute, masonry may be one facet of the construction industry that is excluded from the DOL's alarming 1992 statistic.
Partnership Opportunities at the local level
For over three years the MCAA has been relentlessly communicating messages about workforce development. Our position as a national association is that workforce development is the most critical issue that contractors face. However, in order to sucessfully address this issue contractors must often take the first step in establishing or enhancing mason training programs at the local level.
Successful training programs can not be dictated and run from a national level. The national office can provide guidelines and curriculum and resources. However, the actual training programs must be built and sustained by individuals vested in the local economy. The manpower issue will not be solved by a national decree, but rather by grassroots efforts from individuals all over the industry, with contractors leading the way.
Happily, we can report that the message has been heard. Individuals from all around the industry are becoming involved in all types of mason training. Contractors, block manufacturers, brick distributors and
Local
Masonry
Programs...
Building
our Workforce
one Course
at a Time
Continued on next page
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