IMI Announces New Training Courses for 2014

JOURNAL: ISSUE 4 - 2013

While BAC members and contractors saw modest increases in construction activity during 2013, most are hopeful that 2014 will be a better year for the economy in general and specifically the masonry construction market. No matter what the markets do, however, it's clear that BAC members would do well to take advantage of opportunities to expand their skill set. That's just what the 2014 schedule of training opportunities at the Flynn Center offers, including new courses in Historic Preservation, Advanced Refractory and more.

As shown on the schedule on the opposite page, the majority of the Flynn Center classes occur during January to May, with a few picking up again in the fall. This timing is based on the seasonality of the construction marketplace since most jobs are going full tilt in the summer months and contractors pretty much have everyone working. The training curriculum and courses have been finely tuned to try and reduce as much classroom time and formal hands-on training as possible in order to allow members to minimize time away from the job. Pre-job training tends to take around eight weeks but upgrade or certification courses are likely to run anywhere from three days to a week or so.

"During this past year we began offering Welding, Air Barrier and Rain Screen Certification and expanded many of our other courses, " said IMI National Apprenticeship and Training Director Robert Arnold. "In 2014 we want to go beyond that and add a Historic Preservation Certification which we believe will greatly enhance the ability of our members and contractors to access jobs where a premium is placed on having the right skills for the job. We also believe that applies to Advanced Refractory training and specialized programs for specific products, such as Thin Tile which we completed at the end of 2013."

A focus on new products, emerging technologies and enhanced Instructor Training will also continue to be a focus of activity at the Flynn Center, as will the testing for the Advanced Certification for Tile program which was initiated in 2013.

From left; Abbey Formica of Local 5 PA, and Local 4 IN-KY members Jason Ewing and Gary Giger learning the trade while working on a swing stage scaffold	Joshua Standley of Local 15 MO/KS learning the fundamentals of refractory arches in the IMI Refractory Course.
From left, instructors Flory Fernandez of the OH-KY ADC, Pete Sotelo of Local 1 MN/ND, Clint Creek of Local 15 MO/KS and Lupe Ortiz of Local 3 CA setting a 40 square foot piece of 3 mm thin tile.	Jeremiah Gorsage of Local 1 Oregon welding in the overhead position and preparing himself for the AWS D1.1 Welding Certification.