Masonry Magazine April 1986 Page. 15
Opening Session of the '86 MCAA Educational Conference with W. C. Dentinger, Jr., president, presiding.
The need for change in the masonry industry to keep stride with the high-tech pace of the construction world today and in the future was discussed. "If the change is radical enough, people don't want to believe it, no matter how good it is," Jackson said. "But adversity opens the mind to creativity and innovation."
The second session of the Conference convened on Tuesday, March 4, in which Walter Derk, MCAA insurance consultant: Bruce N. Voss, executive director of IMI's Apprenticeship Training Program, Washington, DC, and Ray Lackey, executive director of IMI, gave presentations. (An adaptation of Walter Derk's discussion of liability insurance appears elsewhere in this issue.)
Apprenticeship and Training
"While apprenticeship has proven an effective way of bringing new people into the industry and qualifying them for service, has it been equally as effective in keeping them? The answer to that question is no, and it really should not be expected to be otherwise," said Voss.
"It is designed to meet the entry and early growth needs of aspiring craftsmen, along with employer needs for entry-level craftsmen who can produce," Voss continued. "But, although apprenticeship training strengthens the ties between our industry and its craftsmen, it is not a substitute for relationships and programs that bind craftsmen to masonry by offering security, satisfaction and rewards.
"I believe we can respond to the challenge and provide for human growth and fulfillment at the same time we provide for masonry's manpower needs," Voss said. "We can do it to a considerable extent through a training process-not just apprentice training at the beginning of a career, but training throughout a career, training designed and delivered to meet particular needs at particular stages during a career. Such a training process is the key to masonry's future."
Ray Lackey reviewed the International Masonry Institute's present programs and outlined its plans for the future. He indicated that IMI is "an instrument for change in the masonry industry, and we plan to structure change and make it work in our favor as an industry, not merely accept it."
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(Top) The honor of being the largest contingent from a single family to attend the Conference belonged to the Eugene Georges of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. There were 14 (count 'em) in all! (Left, top) A large audience heard about the advantages of using ready-mix mortar. (Left, below) The MCAA Ladies enjoyed a session on quilting as part of their program.
MASONRY-MARCH APRIL, 1986 15