PCMA Workforce Development


PCMA Workforce Development
Tool Bag Awards to Vo-Tech Schools The Workforce Development Committee arranges for tool bags, filled with tools of the masonry trade, to be distributed to the top masonry students at the secondary and post secondary levels across the State.

The following awards were distributed for 2011:
Abington Heights High School: Matt Lehnert Admiral Peary AVTS: Chris Shultz Berks Career and Tech Center: Gary Coult Bethlehem AVTS: Allan Molder Career Institute of Technology: Matthew Wood Central PA Institute of Science & Technology: Derek Fetters Central Westmoreland Career & Tech Center: Aspen Dove Clearfield County Career & Tech Center: Troy Danver CTC of Lackawanna County: Ryan Bailey Cumberland–Perry AVTS: Dillan Craig Dauphin County Technical School: Dan Confer Delaware County AVTS-Aston: Mike Basher Eastern Westmoreland: Gus Schmucker Franklin Co. Career & Technology Center: Shawn Brown Greater Altoona Career & Tech Center: Ryan Kensinger Hazleton Area Career Center: Martin McDermott Indiana County Tech Center: Zack Barnett Lancaster Co. Career & Tech Center: Billy Evens		Lawrence Co. Area Vocational Technical School: Carl Ritter Lebanon Co.Career & Technology Center: Billy Evens Lehigh Career & Technical Institute: Jordan Hunter Mon Valley Career & Tech Center: Dakota R. Santo Monroe Career & Tech Institute: Jose Araujo Northern Westmoreland: Josh Dallo Parkway West AVTS: Jamie Head Reading-Muhlenberg CTC: David Tenorio Schuylkill Technology Center-North Campus: Chad Fidler Somerset County Technology Center: David Bailey Sun Area Career and Tech Center: Matt Brouse Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology: Dominique Nugent The Williamson Free School of Mech. Trades: Tom Artingstall Upper Bucks AVTS: Shane Anderson Western Area Career & Tech: Andy Ladzinski Wilkes-Barre, AVTS: Daniel Cunningham York County School of Technology: Brandon Kauffman

Note: Additional awards distributed are not listed above if student's name was not supplied by the school.


Sixth Annual Masonry Instructors Workshop A very successful Masonry Instructors Workshop was held September 27, 2010 at the Harrisburg Area Community College Conference Center. The purpose of the workshop is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and assistance for teaching young men and women to have the best possible skills for entrance into the workplace or for post secondary masonry education. Ken Mauzy, Workforce Development Committee Chair served as MC for the event. Presentations were made by Mark Lantz from the PA Home Builders Association and Deanna Lewis from the Home Building Institute in Washington DC about the endorsement of masonry programs and certification of students. Vince Safran, Beth Marshal and Dave Garnes from the PA Department of Education (PDE) and Rae Lees representing NOCTI participated in a round table discussion of: PDE initiatives, approval of Vo-Tech Programs by PDE, SOARS competency testing for post secondary placement and the NOCTI testing and teacher evaluations. It was a lively discussion. Todd File, Graymont Dolime, presented about masonry mortar options for the classroom and John Bongiovanni, Bon Tool Company, showed a new brick and block splitter. The High Priority Occupation List and that fact that masonry must stay on this list was highlighted throughout the presentations by PDE as extremely important for funding of the schools. We are on this important list thru July 2011 at which time masonry, along with each curriculum, will be re-evaluated. We will remain proactive to assure that we remain on the list. Evaluation forms were completed by each attendee who received 8 credit hours under Act 48 for the day. On this evaluation form we asked if they taught SRW or Pavers as part of the curriculum in masonry or in the horticulture class. This data will be forwarded to the Hardscape Committee for follow up on training options. We thank these presenters for sharing their expertise with the instructors. At the close of the Workshop, the Masonry Instructors Association of PA members held a meeting. The 6th Annual Workshop was held September 2011.



PA Skills Winners At the competition held April 7, 2011 in Lebanon, PA the following students won awards:

Secondary School
Jordan Zook Berks Career & Tech Center	1st Place		$500 from Masonry Instructors Assoc. of PA

Austin McGuire Clearfield Career & Tech Center	2nd Place		Mason's Tool Bag with Tools

Post Secondary School
Jimmy Jordan Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades	1st Place		$500 from PCMA

Matthew Romanowski Penn College of Technology	2nd Place		Mason's Tool Bag with Tools
			Tool Bags courtesy of Bon Tool Company.



Masons Maintained on PA Priority Occupations List Through Governor Rendell and the Departments of Education, Labor & Industry, Community & Economic Development and Public Welfare, a list of targeted industry clusters was created to address those sectors facing workforce challenges now and in the future. Industries on the “priority list” are a part of an “aggressive strategy” to increase workforce in those areas. This designation allows for funding from the federal government that is coming to PA to potentially go to mason training at the secondary, post secondary and adult training level. Without this designation, the Secondary and Post Secondary Schools in the State could lose funding for their programs. These programs create “seed employees” for the union and non-union mason contractors alike. There are no down sides to getting this funding opportunity – only negatives if we are removed. When reviewing the Building and Construction Cluster, it was apparent that masonry was not included originally in 2005 but PCMA was able to show support and get masons added to the list. Upon review of the criteria, we could have had masons removed from the list as of July 2007 and again in 2009. PCMA members gathered letters from masonry contracting companies stating the need for masons. Within the two week time frame, we were able to get letters of support showing three times the amount needed by the State. Our submissions were successful in reinstating masons on this very important High Priority Occupations list. PCMA continues to be the lead association as the voice of the masonry industry in the State with the PA Department of Education and The Workforce Investment Board of the PA Center for Workforce Information and Analysis.



Masonry Instructors Association of Pennsylvania (MIAP) Organized as a committee of PCMA, the Masonry Instructors Association of Pennsylvania provides a forum for communication within the secondary and post secondary masonry instructors throughout the State of PA. 28 masonry instructors have joined thus far. They also have a voice to advocate for masonry through the PA Department of Education and with the individual Career and Technical Centers statewide. The input of this group is important to the agenda for the Masonry Instructors Workshop and other initiatives related to Workforce Development efforts by PCMA.