Report of the MCAA Workforce Development Committee

Words: Moroni Mejia

NCCER

The partnership established recently between the MCAA and the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) continues to focus on the revision of NCCER’s Masonry textbooks. The revision of NCCER's masonry training curriculum began in October of 2012. This effort has been partially funded through grants in excess of $75,000 generously contributed by the NCMA Foundation.

Members of the Workforce Development Committee along with subject matter experts from around the country met in Dallas in February and Atlanta in August to continue the detailed revision of the texts. The first of the three texts, Masonry Level 1, was released for publication in late 2013. The final curriculum revision meeting is scheduled for Phoenix February 18-20, 2014. The curriculum review team will then meet in Denver in April 2014 to develop a written and practical Mason Journey Level Assessment. These assessments will be meant to provide a means to verify that masons who have not completed formal training programs have the knowledge and skills to qualify as journeymen.

The partnership with NCCER has also facilitated the initiation of two formal masonry apprenticeship programs in 2013. The first to become active was in Colorado through the Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute. Nancy Partridge has been instrumental in organizing and administering the program. John Foley with Mortenson’s masonry division is serving as instructor for the program. In addition to the success in Colorado, a formal apprenticeship program has been formed by the Utah Masonry Council and is set to begin training bricklayers in January 2014.

The partnership between NCCER, the Masonry Association of Florida, and the National Concrete Masonry Association has played a significant role in encouraging, supporting, and guiding our local masonry associations as they work to replenish the depleted masonry workforce.

The MCAA has hired Terry Ruppel as Director of Training and Workforce Development. Terry will be working in Kentucky and Tennessee to create NCCER programs in those states.

Skills USA and Workforce Development

Bryan Light once again organized and executed the premier masonry skills competition in Kansas City at the Skills USA Championships in June. Al Herndon with the Masonry Association of Florida conducted a round table discussion with the masonry instructors during the contestant/instructor luncheon. With Bryan and Skills USA's support these round tables will continue each year.

World of Concrete Competitions

The MCAA’s Fastest Trowel on the Block and the MCAA’s Masonry Skills Challenge will both be held during Masonry Madness on Wednesday, January 22nd at the World of Concrete. The MCAA’s Masonry Skills Challenge contest area will remain in the Gold Lot but will be moved into the main arena alongside the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 and the MCAA’s Fastest Trowel on the Block contest areas. All eyes will be on the contests as we celebrate the best of our workforce.

The competitions will be our most exciting to date, with 24 contestants in the MCAA’s Masonry Skills Challenge, including regions that have never participated in the competition before, and 18 competitors in the MCAA’s Fastest Trowel on the Block, including several former champions. For the first time ever, there was a waitlist for the MCAA’s Fastest Trowel on the Block.
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