Masonry Magazine June 2007 Page. 18
TRAINING
the next day, and it has helped me refresh upon math I forgot. I plan to pursue a career in masonry. I really enjoy the trade."
Other institutions have reported successes. Duwayne Shoup, the masonry instructor at Mansfield Correctional Institution in Mansfield, Ohio, said his institution has heard back from Career Technical graduates who have been released, and they're finding success in the masonry trade.
"At least one previous student hired on with the local union in the Cleveland area and was making $16 an hour to start," Shoup said. "A recent masonry completer hired on with a non-union company is making $13 an hour, working approximately 60 hours per week. His pay would increase to $17 an hour if he stayed with the company for six months, and after a year would be making $21 per hour. This is a great opportunity since a lot of these students have never had a job prior to being incarcerated."
Steve Ratliff, eastern region director for corrections education at the Kentucky Department of Corrections, Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex, said keeping track of former inmates' career paths is difficult, but he knows that many have put their masonry training to use.
"We know of some who have entered the trade after release," Ratliff said. "One former student is currently working in our community with a local contractor."
A Wide Range of Masonry Programs
MASONRY TRAINING programs vary between correctional institutions, some allow inmates to earn college credits. What most programs have in common is the background of the instructors - the masonry teachers typically have extensive experience in their field.
Virginia DCE offers masonry training in two youth and seven adult facilities, said Wayne Bennett, deputy secretary for career and technical education. Adult courses take 10 to 12 months to complete. During the 2005-06 school year, 203 adult students enrolled and 73 completed the program. In the youth schools, 72 enrolled and six completed the program.
Some work takes place on actual projects, such as a two-story concession stand and press box for an athletic field, an addition to a local school, and a reception center.
"They mix and spread mortar, learn to lay brick and block, practice setting corners, develop speed laying to a line, learn typical patterns for brickwork, and laying out work," Bennett said. "There is an emphasis on safety and fundamental math."
And there are similar programs across the nation. The Minnesota Department of Corrections has a masonry program for adult males, said Shari Burt, communications and media relations director in St. Paul. The program focuses on the basic fundamentals of brick and block work. Curriculum includes lectures and hands-on lab work.
"Students in the Basic Block Laying Program learn to lay block on the line, build leads, estimate jobs, plumb and square walls, and lay out first course of blueprints. Students in the Basic Brick Laying Program learn how to lay to the line, build brick leads, plumb and square walls, cut brick using chisel and power saws, and build brick piers and pattern bonds," Burt said. "Students in the Advanced Brick Laying Program learn how to build brick arches, fireplace layout and design, chimney layout and design, stone work, stone veneering, plan reading. and foundation technology."
More than 50 inmates participate in the masonry programs annually.
16 Masonry
June 2007
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