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JOHN J. FLYNN
President
International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
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Issue 4 - 2007
At the core of what sets our Union, members and contractors apart is a strong, consistent, long-term commitment to training. The new National Training Center and the apprentices showcased in this issue are very real examples of this commitment.
The National Training Center (NTC), which started as just a concept many years ago, opened its doors this summer and immediately began to train instructors and craftworkers. This is a significant accomplishment for our Union and the unionized masonry-trowel trades industry as a whole. Our new Training Center is the first, and only, training facility for our industry, which offers all levels of training and instruction on a national level. Now home to Masonry Camp, the Instructor Certification Program, Contractor College, and all types of apprenticeship training and journey-level upgrade programs, the new Center will also serve as the base for conducting research on new products and creating new opportunities for our members.
"Those apprentices who competed and those who won were willing to rise to the challenge, show what they have learned so far, and graciously accept defeat or victory."
The NTC is the product of a dedicated team from IMI and BAC, with broad support from our Local officers, members and contractors. Thanks to their efforts we were able to move beyond the discussion and planning stages to make it a reality.
The Local and Regional Apprentice Contest winners and competitors presented in this issue also demonstrate our Union’s – our members’ – commitment to being the most skilled craftworkers in the industry. It’s this group that we have been focusing on during the last several months as we prepare for the International Apprentice Contest in late September. Those apprentices who competed and those who won were willing to rise to the challenge, show what they have learned so far, and graciously accept defeat or victory.
Along the way, each took their tools and training and used them to compete for a spot in the final competition. In my book, each one demonstrated the type of leadership that continues to move our industry and Union forward. Each took a risk by participating, and while all may not have walked away with a trophy, simply by competing they demonstrated a level of pride that distinguishes BAC members from others in our trades. This issue captures many of the apprentices that competed in Local and Regional contests, and a special section of our website (www.bacweb.org) is devoted to these contestants, including video clips from several of the competitions.
Those who made it to the finals will compete at the International Apprentice Contest, scheduled for September. At this event, we will celebrate all of those who participated in the contests leading up to this point, and honor the winners and finalists. We will also use this event to dedicate our new National Training Center and introduce it to the public.
To ensure that members, contractors and the public all have an opportunity to be part of this important event, portions of each of the International Apprentice Contest craft competitions and the awards ceremony will be webcast on a special section of our website “BAC-TV.” A schedule of the times for the webcasts will be listed on our website www.bacweb.org, and each webcast will be available on demand so that you can watch at your convenience.
Whether your interest lies with the brick, tile, terrazzo, plaster, cement, PCC, or stone competitions, I encourage you to logon to our website with your friends, family and fellow members to watch as our leading apprentices pick up their tools and compete to be the “best of the best."
If you have ideas for stories or issues of concern, let us know by emailing us at askbac@bacweb.org or writing to:
International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
Attention: Communications Department
620 F Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004
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