International Apprentice Contest Debuts in Washington DC
August 12, 2003

WASHINGTON—After years of investing in their careers, apprentice masonry craftworkers will have a chance to show off their skills, at the inaugural BAC/IMI International Apprentice Contest.

The contest involves four levels of competition, beginning with local and regional contests held earlier this year. Semifinal contests are taking place in August and September at IMI’s National Training Center. The finals will be held in Washington, D.C at the National Building Museum on October 18, in conjunction with a national exhibit on masonry’s role in architecture and the masonry craftworker.

Skilled union craftworkers who build with brick, tile, stone, marble, terrazzo, plaster and cement start their careers as apprentices with the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC). They receive their training through the International Masonry Institute (IMI).

“This contest gives young craftworkers an opportunity to show everyone how serious they are about their careers,”says BAC President and IMI Co-Chair John J. Flynn. “And it presents a healthy future for the industry.”

The contest includes hands-on competitions in the respective crafts, plus a written test. Judges include prominent construction experts.

IMI is a joint labor-management cooperative program of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) and the contractors who employ its members. Its core programs are quality craft training and technical assistance to the design and building communities  The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers represents 100,000 skilled masonry workers in the United States and Canada.  It is the oldest construction union in North America. For information on BAC go to www.bacweb.org for IMI or International Apprentice Contest participants, go to www.imiweb.org.

The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers represents 100,000 skilled masonry workers in the United States and Canada. It is the oldest continuously operating construction union in North America.