February 28, 2007 12:41 PM CST

Report of the MCAA Workforce Development Committee

By Paul Hoggatt , Calvin Brodie

Over the past 2 years, the chairmen of the Workforce Development Committee and MCAA staff have been meeting with the staff and members of other industry associations to come together in our efforts toward Workforce Development. BSI, BIA, NCMA, BAC and IMI have all attended at least one meeting along with the MCAA to explore our options.

At the Masonry Showcase 2006 in Las Vegas, this group met and identified four areas in which the industry could impact recruiting new masons. These topics were Educating Contractors, Recruiting Ex-Military Personnel, Strategic Marketing, and College Recruiting. The MCAA was tasked with gathering information about the first two; the NCMA gathered a proposal for the two latter.

In September 2006, the group met in Memphis to discuss the findings. The MCAA supported the ideas of a "best practices" seminar or video to educate contractors on how to recruit effectively, promoting the use of the website "Helmets-to-Hardhats" to our members to recruit more ex-military, and to devote funding to market research to determine what messages are most effective in addressing young people and attracting them to our trade. (College recruiting was tabled for further discussion.) Although all the proposals were compelling, there was no unanimous support for any of them by all groups. It was decided that each group would present the programs they support to their Boards, and then when the group reconvenes in 2007, the groups who agree can partner.

This topic was discussed at the Mid-Year Meeting in Maui, Hawaii. The MCAA Board voted to budget $12,500 for the "best practices" seminar development, depending upon the financial support of the other participating associations. The Board was interested in the prospect of the market research, but found the cost to be prohibitive.

MCAA is awaiting response from the other participating groups, most notably NCMA. None of the groups have communicated their acceptance or rejection of these proposals. The next meeting is scheduled for mid-March at MCAA headquarters.

The three-year Masonry Training Series is consistently one of the association's best-selling resources, and sales keep increasing year after year. Some of our series customers are contractor members, but many are vo-tech schools and local association apprenticeship programs. The series is quickly becoming the industry standard for apprentice training, and it is often difficult for the inventory headquarters to keep up with demand.

This summer we introduced the second year volume of the series in Spanish, thanks to the translation provided by our affiliate groups in Arizona and California. Sales for this book have not met expectations (under five sold to date), but we hope with continued promotion, they will increase. In the new school year, we will be introducing the third year volume in Spanish.

Support for the "Check Out a Career in Masonry" has stalled, despite committee efforts to revitalize donations. Early in the summer of 2006, the committee sent personal letters to every MCAA member in the areas in which schools still remain to be sponsored, but the result was a mere $600 in sponsorships (3 schools). The MCAA also partnered with the California Conference of Mason Contractors Associations (CCMCA), to solicit funds from our members in California. This effort resulted in $400, 50% of which we must refund to CCMCA per our agreement.

The committee is considering alternative methods to fund the final 500 schools still on the waiting list. We are exploring the reduction of the cost of sponsorship, and then compiling sponsors to fulfill each school. We would also like this program to be considered by the Joint Workforce Development committee for funding, as it addresses most of the goals of the group. In any other future solicitations, we will also include a summary of the highlights and successes of this program to help convince potential donors of the real benefits.

Every quarter, over 1,200 high school guidance counselors and educators receive the "Masonry Careers" newsletter. These school officials are the ones who have signed up for the "Check Out a Career in Masonry" and have provided either their email or mailing address. This four-time-a-year communication serves to keep our program in their minds as an option for their students' career paths.

The newsletters often address the opportunities for the schools to participate in career days and establishing vo-tech programs locally. They also remind the educators to replenish their career kits if they have run out of brochures. Most importantly, they further inform the educators about the benefits of masonry careers, and suggest that they and their students visit our website for more information. Response is always great after we send out these newsletters, and we believe it is a great way to continue to grow our relationships with these schools.

The career day efforts of the Workforce Development committee continue to see success. So far this year, MCAA has received over 60 requests for career days for this school year, up from 40 at this time last year. When career day requests are received, Melissa Polivka tries to identify contractors or associations in the area that can attend. Sometimes this is not possible, but often she is able to reschedule. We have a good network of willing volunteers, but can always use more. Also, we will provide materials for these career day visitors, such as brochures, posters, or videos. The feedback from school officials is always positive regarding these events, and we are invited back year-after-year to many schools.

The MCAA continues to support the work of the Skills USA and participate on the Masonry Technical committee to sponsor and facilitate the national championships in Kansas City each June. The MCAA works with many other industry affiliates to make this program a success, and each year, our association coordinates and provides the judges for this important event.

One of the strategies of the Workforce Development Committee, as outlined by the MCAA's Long-Range Strategic plan, is to establish a mentorship program for apprentices. Through a review of the Long-Range Strategic plan conducted by the committee in September, this appeared to be the only initiative that has lacked attention.

Some of our committee members already have mentorship programs established at their companies, and will be sharing their tactics and efforts so that we can explore possibly introducing this as an industry initiative. This is a major focus of the Workforce Development Committee meeting in Orlando.

This perennial contest will again be a highlight event at Masonry Showcase 2007. The committee is very devoted to continually improving the coordination and conduct of this and the Skills Challenge contest, and they have spent may hours planning. Rules have been updated, drawings have been provided, and clear expectations have been published for the contestants, so that this year's contest can be smooth and enjoyable for all involved.

Once again, Quikrete has agreed to fully sponsor the event at $30,000, and this funding has already been received by the MCAA. Quikrete will also provide the manpower and mortar for the event.

Another highlight event of the Masonry Showcase 2007 will be the Masonry Skills Challenge contest. This year we will feature one additional region (Oklahoma and southern Missouri), so we look forward to an even tougher competition. All other regions except for the Northwest have submitted contestants, and this past summer Melissa Polivka attended the regional contest in Texas to help the Texas Masonry Council host the event.

The Workforce Development committee has devoted a lot of time to coordinating this contest as well. This year's projects are top notch and we look forward to a smooth event come Friday, February 23rd.

The MCAA has received $22,000 in sponsor donations, $8,000 less than our budget of $30,000. We have also received prize donations from Marshalltown and tools at a reduced cost from Bon Tool.

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About the Authors

Paul Hoggatt is President of Hoggatt LP, located in Houston, Texas. Paul joined the family business in 1964 and has served as President of the Associated Masonry Contractors of Houston twice, President of the Houston chapter of ASA, President of the Texas Masonry Council, and Workforce Development Committee Chairman for the Mason Contractors Association of America. Paul received the Lifetime Service Award from the Texas Masonry Council and was named the winner of the 2008 C. DeWitt Brown Leadman Award.

Calvin Brodie is the President of Brodie Contractors, Inc. in Raleigh, N.C. He has served as Workforce Development Committee Chairman for the Mason Contractors Association of America and was President of the North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association, Inc. from 1993-1995.