Apprenticeship Today

From the President’s Desk

I’ll begin by wishing all of you a happy and prosperous New Year. May the year 2001 bring you all health, happiness and gainful employment. It looks as though the work situation will be good again this year. But, remember no matter how much work there is you still need to attend class. Apprenticeship standards are set by the state and class time is an important part of your future status in your chosen trade.

A big "Thank you" to all apprentices who took the time to vote. I look forward to serving as the president of BAC 3 for the next three years. And as with any apprenticeship, education will be part of my future as well. I am looking forward to our upcoming local contest which looks like it will be held in Fresno.

Recently I attended a Region 8 meeting and one of the discussions was that the International is seriously looking into an Apprenticeship Contest on the national level. It seems they would like to get all the best apprentices from across the nation together for a national event. They did not go into details, but at the next Executive Council meeting I will do some investigating.

Congratulations go out to Martin O’Leary on his win at the "Block Busters 2000" contest inLas Vegas. It is always a proud moment when one of our own takes First Place in his division. Martin will go on to Florida to represent the BAC on the next leg of the competition. Let’s all wish him the best of luck and come home with the GOLD!

In closing I wish to congratulate all apprentices who recently became Certified Journeypersons. We know it took a lot of your Saturdays, but it is always a good feeling when we set a goal for ourselves and we accomplish that goal. And what better goal than one that will prepare us for a lifetime of gainful employment. Becoming skilled in a trade is one of the best things we can do for our families, our future, and ourselves.

LOCAL APPRENTICE WINS REGIONAL CONTEST

On November 18, 2000 the Mason Contractors Association of America held a regional apprenticeship contest in Las Vegas. The contestants were divided into three categories; first year, second year and third year apprentices.

Martin O’Leary took first place honors in the third year category with 295 points of a possible 300. Congratulations to Martin on his outstanding performance and thanks to his employer, PTS Masonry for their part in training our apprentices.
Martin will travel to Orlando, Florida in February to compete in the Masonry Skills Challenge. This event is designed to spotlight careers in the Masonry Industry as well as the industry’s fine young masons .

The MCAA has teamed up with Habitat for Humanity to build a masonry home with apprentices and architects from around the United States and Canada. The home will be built on Friday with the contest being held the following day, February 24.

Thank you to the Contractor Associations, who are paying Martin’s expenses.

Words of Wisdom

As you can read in this issue, our apprenticeship program is moving forward with some encouraging numbers of apprentices. However; this is no time for us to relax and feel that the future of our industry is secure.

I was disappointed to see that Governor Gray Davis vetoed AB 2087. This was the legislation to reinvigorate shop programs in our high schools. His rationale for the veto was that the bill was inconsistent with the State’s efforts to encourage pupils to take the rigorous academic coursework needed for pursuing higher education.

Speaking as a parent; I think all of us would like to see our children go to college and thru their education enjoy as good a life style as possible. Higher education is thought in our culture to be the road to success. The reality is that not all of our children are destined to go to college. We still love them and wish for as much success as possible in their careers. Many of us feel that a career in the masonry industry can be quite rewarding, and we should encourage our profession to all who have an inclination towards it.

Our masonry contractors are involved in various programs which are attempts to increase the market share of masonry in the construction industry. Some of the American Institute of Architects chapters have student chapters. We hope to sponsor masonry design competitions with appropriate cash prizes for the winners among these student chapters.
We are also attempting to work out details for design awards for masonry buildings. At present, in the Apprenticeship Office, there are pictures of two masonry jobs that have been mailed to local architects. Hopefully, These pictures will lead to architects designing with masonry products.