Amerimix
EZ Scaffold Corp.
EZG Manufacturing
Hydro Mobile, Inc.
Loot
Non-Stop Scaffolding
PROSOCO, Inc.
SOLA/Keson
SPEC MIX LLC
Stabila
Westlake Royal Stone Solutions
Find-a-Contractor Masonry Buyer's Guide

Workforce Development Initiatives

The Mason Contractors Association of America understands the need to recruit talented, hardworking youths that will carry on the trade's reputation for quality workmanship into the future, and has launched multiple programs that address recruitment and promote apprenticeship.

Student Membership

The Mason Contractors Association of America offers a special membership to students working towards a career in masonry. As a student member, you will get the benefits you need to begin and advance your career in the masonry industry. Just a few of the many benefits you will receive as a student member of the MCAA include:

MCAA Safety Advantage

Download hundreds of safety topics, guides, and videos available to educate yourself on how to run a safe job site.

Increase Your Knowledge

Attend more than 100 on demand and live education courses aimed to help you increase your knowledge and advance your career.

Keep Up-to-date on Trends

Stay up-to-date on current industry information through free subscriptions to Masonry magazine and Masonry Messenger.

Networking Opportunities

The MCAA offers several opportunities for students to connect with mason contractors throughout the country.

MCAA Perks

Receive thousands of discounted offers on everything from movie tickets, apparel and electronics to travel, dining and more!

Join the MCAA today for only $25.00. A full time student ID will be required in order to receive special student pricing. Let the MCAA help you build a strong and successful career in the masonry industry. Call 800-536-2225 or join online. Together, we are stronger.

National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER)

The Mason Contractors Association of America has partnered with the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) to adapt NCCER's current industry-standardized curricula and assessments to create a jointly-endorsed masonry training and certification program. The long-term goal of the partnership is to advance masonry workforce development nationally and to utilize the expertise of both organizations to develop and deliver comprehensive masonry training throughout North America and the world.

NCCER and MCAA will also work together to promote masonry training at secondary and post-secondary education levels that meet industry standards, ensuring seamless articulation between Secondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and Post-secondary Technical College programs.

Training Program Database

Vocational and technical programs are a cornerstone of American business and a very important part of many youths' career tracks. We at the Mason Contractors Association of America understand that the hands-on experience gained through participation in vocational programs is the best way to promote our industry's development.

To address our industry's workforce growth needs, the Mason Contractors Association of America launched a new website in October 2004, the Masonry Career Training database. This site contains a directory of masonry training and apprenticeship programs from across the country available for interested students to begin their careers. As of today, we have over 100 registered programs listed on the site, and we add more everyday. This website is the industry's only comprehensive resource for training programs.

The MCAA works diligently to expand and maintain the quality of the information and features of our Masonry Career Training website. We are able to make changes and additions to our site at a moment's notice. We can update the database with new programs, new features, and new designs, ensuring that our information is always up-to-date and relevant.

An MCAA staff member has personally spoken with a representative of every program listed on the site. We have completed a profile on each of these programs, detailing class meeting times, instructor names, employment placement opportunities, and much more. Each of these programs has also signed a release stating that they will list their program with our site exclusively.

The MCAA is selective as to which programs are listed, and there are criteria that the programs must meet in order to appear on the site. This entrance process, along with a yearly review of the program information with a representative at each location, has established our site as the most reliable source for quality training in the industry.

You can search the Masonry Career Training Database to find a training program near you.

Masonry Skills Challenge

The Masonry Skills Challenge is a competition of masonry apprentices in first, second and third year skill levels. The contest is a showcase for skills training in the masonry industry, challenging winning apprentices from regional U.S. and foreign competitions to determine the top masonry apprentice at each level. The exciting competition spotlights our industry's finest young masons and focuses attention on careers in the masonry industry.

Contestants are divided by experience level, 'First Years' who are just entering the trade through 'Third Years' who are just about to enter the workforce as journeymen. Each level is given a project to build appropriate to their know-how. The catch? The projects are a complete surprise!

Contestants have three hours to complete their projects with the given materials. Awards are presented to the top three apprentices in each skill level.

For more information please, visit the Masonry Skills Challenge page of our website.

Fastest Trowel on the Block

The Fastest Trowel on the Block Competition, hosted by the Mason Contractors Association of America, is a showcase of industry craftsmanship and a testament of both the speed and skill of our industry's workforce. Only those journeymen masons who have the skill, confidence and courage to face-off with the industry's best are invited to compete. This is a contest that also proves how important teamwork is in accomplishing a final product.

The competition will pit journeyman masons, accompanied by their favorite tender, against one another in a show of both speed and craftsmanship. Each contestant's goal is to complete as much of a 30 foot long wall as possible, using 8"x8"x16" CMU and the provided mortar in a twenty-minute heat. Contestants must have a high degree of workmanship using normal masonry practices and hand tools.

The contest promotes quality training and pride in workmanship among journeymen and contractors, as well as promoting the craftsmanship, speed and versatility of masonry systems and the masonry workforce. This contest also rewards and highlights the country's best mason journeymen for their hard work and dedication to the trade.

Throughout its history, the Fastest Trowel competition has been responsible for growing excitement about the trade and the journeymen that work so hard for pride in their workmanship. It has also prompted mason contractors to encourage skill and quality their workers, so they can have a contestant represent their companies in the competition. Each year, the energy increases as more and more spectators from the industry gather to see if the old records will be broken and to cheer on their hometown favorites. Most importantly, attendees see the industry's best journeymen proving the superiority of masonry.

The Fastest Trowel competition benefits the masonry industry in many ways. It has created a level of pride among journeymen and contractors that translates quality construction when they install our materials. It has refocused our industry's attention on the need for promoting masonry systems. It educates about the benefits and quality of masonry workmanship. And finally, it has re-energized the industry as we band together to cheer on our journeymen.

For more information please, visit the Fastest Trowel on the Block page of our website.

Masonry Foreman Development Course

Masonry field supervisors need to manage both people and resources in order to have a successful and profitable project. Labor is the only unknown factor on a project, everything else is fixed. Why gamble with your bottom line?

The Masonry Foreman Development Course has been designed to provide your key employees with the skills necessary to become an effective job foreman and profit center for your company.

This 2-day intensive course will teach the key areas of responsibility for foremen such as communication, leadership, problem solving, accident prevention, cost awareness, planning and organizing, production control, and contract documents.

For more information, please visit the Masonry Foreman Development Course page of our website.

SkillsUSA

SkillsUSA is a national organization serving more than 250,000 high school and college students enrolled in training programs in technical, skilled, and service occupations. The organizations training programs prepare America's high performance workers through quality education experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development.

SkillsUSA programs include local, state and national competitions in which students demonstrate occupational and leadership skills. During the annual national-level SkillsUSA Championships, more than 4,600 students compete in 80 occupational and leadership skill areas. SkillsUSA programs also help to establish industry standards for job skill training in the classroom.

There are over 250 SkillsUSA Masonry programs through out the United States. The MCAA is a full, voting member of the national Skills USA Masonry Technical Committee. The Association works annually to coordinate the SkillsUSA Championships in Kansas City each June with other industry partners.

For more information on SkillsUSA, please visit www.skillsusa.org.

“The MCAA is critical to forwarding our cause.”

Danks Burton
Pinnacle Masonry, Inc.
MCAA member since 1997

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