IMI Launches Training Conference
December 2001
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| The networking
opportunities for Joint Apprenticeship and Training
Committee members demonstrated the value of closer
communication and more consistent approaches. |
With a solid foundation now in place for the BAC/IMI
Apprentice-ship & Training System, the time was ripe
to focus on ways to further enhance BAC recruitment and
training efforts. To that end, IMI convened key participants
at its inaugural Masonry Industry Education Conference
in November. The goals were ambitious yet critical: creating
a more unified approach to training, while keeping both
potential and current members committed to union masonry.
The Conference brought together members of Joint Apprenticeship
and Training Committees (JATC) from across the Union.
Opening the Conference, BAC President and IMI Co-Chair
John J. Flynn led the call for greater communication
and consistent standards when he said, “Our ability
to provide skilled craftworkers to our contractors will
have a direct impact on whether or not the unionized
masonry industry gains or loses market share.” Attendees
were also updated on a host of IMI initiatives to enrich
both the apprentice and journey-level experience for
BAC members. On the apprenticeship front, IMI A&T
personnel are working with JATCs to make apprenticeship
standards more uniform, and developing national curriculum
for all BAC crafts.
 |
| IMI’s first
training conference “gave us all a better understanding
of the training challenges we face, and the steps
we must take to address them,” says BAC President
and IMI Co-Chair John J. Flynn. |
IMI Apprenticeship and Training Director Steve Martini
said IMI will continue to keep up on new teaching technologies,
such as computer distance learning, “but we’ll
also get back to basics,” such as competency-based
standards for the assessment of craftworkers at all stages
of their careers, and standard ways to measure training
results.
For BAC journey-level members, IMI’s lifelong
learning programs include cross-craft training in all
BAC crafts and continuing education programs in new products,
safety, refractory, and more. IMI has
partnered with the National Labor College to offer college degree
programs for BAC members, with credit given for work experience. Other educational
partnerships are in the works. New in 2002 will be IMI’s Supervisor Certification
Program (SCP).
Wrapping up all these efforts is the A&T Skills
Data Base, which tracks and documents the lifelong acquired
skills of BAC members. It will be fully implemented by
Spring 2002.
Now more than ever, effective recruitment strategies
are critical. After a successful round of radio ads and
new recruitment materials in 2001, ongoing efforts include
targeting audiences, tailoring messages, and preparing
instructors for changing demographics. “We are
definitely making inroads,” says Martini.
The blueprint for this exhaustive effort has been the
BAC A&T Task Force Report issued in 2000, a collaborative
effort among BAC Local officers and staff, IMI training
staff, contractors and other experts.
“Don’t
wait,” was the message from conference keynote
speaker Charlie Thornton, chairman of The Thornton-Tomasetti
Group, Inc. and founder of the ACE Mentor Program. Thornton,
a former bricklayer, said that even if a construction
slowdown materializes soon, “now’s the time
to be training for three or four years from now.”
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