March 14, 2008

The Ontario Masonry Contractors’ Association teamed up with industry leaders and Conestoga College in Kitchener to build a $2.5 million training centre.

Focus on Concrete/Masonry

Ontario Masonry Contractors’ Association plans new training centre at Conestoga College

DON PROCTER

correspondent

Like so many building trades, the field of masonry is facing a dire shortage of skilled workers in Ontario. Just look at the statistics.

To keep pace with demands, the Construction Sector Council forecasts Ontario needs 200 to 220 new bricklayers annually for the next seven years.

Too few new workers are staying in the field and nearly 17 per cent of bricklayers were at least 55 years old, according to a 2004 study by Prism Economics.

So what carrot does the industry need to entice more bodies into the business of bricklaying and associated masonry work?

The Ontario Masonry Contractors’ Association (OMCA) decided that building a top-notch training centre was a good place to start.

The association and industry leaders formed a partnership with Conestoga College and raised enough money to build a $2.5 million, 10,000-square-foot training centre at the Kitchener school’s campus.

Opened for its first intake of 18 apprentices in January, the new Centre of Excellence for the Masonry Trades will train 100 or more masonry apprentices plus related trades annually.

“It is critical for re-establishing long-term careers in our industry,” says Gary Kappeler, president of the Ontario Masonry Contractors Association.

According to Construction Sector Council forecasts, 220 new bricklayers will be required annually for the next seven years. Currently, 17 per cent of those working in the trade are 55 years old or older.

Until now, the Ontario Masonry Training Centre in Mississauga only had the capacity for two to three third-year apprenticeship classes annually – not enough to meet the industry’s demand. The new centre will run more first- and second-year classes, freeing up the Mississauga campus to running more advanced training.

In addition to its Mississauga campus, the Ontario Masonry Training Centre has a facility in Ottawa.

“This new training centre (at Conestoga) will greatly assist us to reach our goals by training first- and second-year apprentices,” explains Sandra Skivsky, business development and marketing director, of the Canada Masonry Centre (CMC), the administration home for masonry associations.

The CMC is a joint venture of the Canadian Masonry Contractors Association, the OMCA and the Metropolitan Industrial & Commercial Masonry Contractors’ Inc.

To Kappeler’s knowledge, the industry/community college partnership is “a totally unique joint venture,” in Canada and possibly the U.S. Typically, trades training in Canada is either handled by the college system, or a joint management/union training trust fund.

In addition to contributing $735,000 in land and associated costs towards the $2.5 million centre, Conestoga College will serve as a continuing education component for bricklayers “to keep them current on changing technology,” he says.

“We didn’t put this up simply to train a kid how to be a mason.” Apprentices have opportunities to select a specialty once they have completed their apprenticeship. “The idea is for them to have long-term careers, versus just hourly wage jobs.”

In addition to enough class space to accommodate more than 100 students annually, the new building features a large shop for hands-on learning. It is equipped with mixing stations, a climber platform, forklift, scaffolding and other tools required for masonry installation. While the building is now fully operational, the final exterior finishing work (the brick and stone veneer) won’t begin until spring. Final completion is slated for June.

In addition to enough class space to accommodate more than 100 students annually, the new building features a large shop for hands-on learning. It is equipped with mixing stations, a climber platform, forklift, scaffolding and other tools required for masonry installation.

The centre features an atrium in the lobby which can act as a place where meetings between students, designers, owners and others can take place.

To fund the new centre the OMCA kicked in $828,000 of the project’s total budget, while the Canadian Concrete Masonry Producers Association (CCMPA) and brick manufacturers added about $600,000 for the building materials.

While the building is fully operational, the final exterior finishing work (the brick and stone veneer) won’t commence until the spring. Final completion is slated for June.

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