Report of the MCAA Education Committee

Words: Randy Adams

Live Webinar Series

The MCAA’s Live Webinar Series continued to grow in 2016, building on the success from previous years. Over 3,000 attendees registered for nearly sixty courses last year. Over 1,200 attended the live presentations. Topics ranged from OSHA investigations and jobsite safety to quality assurance and business success for masons.

Nearly every webinar in 2016 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 2017. 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 webinars
All 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 2017.

Best Practices Seminar

The 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 Assurance
  • Human Resources
  • Coordination and Teaming with Other Trades
  • Best Masonry Processes and Practices
  • Sales and Marketing of Your Company and the Industry
  • Best Business Management Practices
  • Best and Most Efficient Equipment Practices
  • Engineered Masonry
The segments will be taught by mason contractors. The seminar will be offered during future MCAA Conventions and individually online as webinars.

Detail Videos

The Education Committee is looking into the development of short videos that focus on details of the jobsite. Suggested topics include:
  • Covering Walls
  • Flashing
  • Material Handling
  • Mixing and Retempering Mortar by Hand
  • Proper Lifting
These 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.

Speaker Program

A speaker program is being developed for the 2017 Midyear Meeting. Speakers may be both educational and motivational. Suggested topics include, “How to Relate to Millennials.” The program will be offered during a lunch or dinner.

Spanish Translation

Five technical talk topics have been translated into Spanish. These topics will be available in 2017 on the MCAA website and in Masonry magazine. Additional technical talks and safety tool box talks will be translated in the near future.

Mason Tender Training

The Education Committee has worked with the Arizona Masonry Contractors Association to share a successful mason tender training program, currently being utilized in Arizona, to all members of the MCAA. These materials are available to MCAA members at www.masoncontractors.org/mason-tender-training.

The Year Ahead

The Education Committee will continue to provide top quality education programs to mason contractors and work to develop new courses for the masonry industry.
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