Building a Skilled Workforce for Sustainable Growth

JOURNAL: ISSUE 1 - 2016

A Pre-apprentice tile instructor introduces the class to the many tools tile setters will use throughout their careers.

With a comprehensive training network and the flagship John J. Flynn BAC/IMI International Training Center in Bowie, Maryland, the International Masonry Institute (IMI) and International Masonry Training and Education Foundation (IMTEF) are preparing today’s masonry craftworkers for tomorrow’s workforce in North America through its quality apprenticeship and training programs that are second to none. 

“As the demand for education and certification increases, IMTEF is preparing our BAC members for the future,” says Bob Arnold, IMTEF National Apprenticeship and Training Director. “We certify members in welding, stone patching, grout training, tile installation and much more. We have an obligation to our contractors to provide them a skilled and trained workforce. Through developing technical resources, tools and studies, we have continually demonstrated why union masonry is the best solution.” 

BAC Local officers and IMTEF staff work closely with contractors and other industry stakeholders to create topnotch education and training programs that ensure BAC members are well-prepared for new products and processes. “Our members are trained by the most experienced instructors with contemporary knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the BAC signatory contractors,” says BAC President James Boland.    

Visit  imtef.org to find out more about the training programs that are available to you at the National Training Center (page 8) and local training centers near you. 

Apprentices practice buttering head joints during IMTEF’s 8-week bricklayer pre-apprentice course.	Mike Kassman, Historic Masonry Preservation instructor and IMI National Safety Coordinator, teaches the finer points of historic mortars.
A PCC pre-apprentice learning the importance of proper tuck-pointing techniques.	Pre-apprentices attending a 6-week course working together, safely cutting tile.
The 12-day welding course gives BAC members the opportunity to obtain an AWS D1.1 certification in vertical (3G) and overhead (4G) positions.	A BAC member uses a miter rod to follow the contour of a select piece of limestone in a stone patching course.
Terrazzo students from Local 7 NY/NJ working with a terrazzo floor grinder.	Terrazzo pre-apprentices creating a design for their final project for an 8-week program