Bricklayers Show Off Training Facility

Community Services Agency staff got a "fantastic" tour of the International Masonry Institute’s national training facility in Bowie last week, reports CSA Executive Director Kathleen McKirchy. The facility is also utilized by Bricklayers Local 1, an affiliate of the Metro Washington Council, AFL-CIO.   National Apprentice and Training Director Bob Arnold gave a tour of the dormitory and main meeting area, while Scott Garvin, President of Local 1 and Paul Ferenc, Local 1’s Apprenticeship and Training Coordinator, showed off the stations for training in bricklaying, pointing, finishing, tile and terrazzo, welding and more at this 30,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility.  “We would love to have CSA’s Building Futures students come out for a tour and get an idea of the different crafts we train for,” Garvin said. “And we’d love to get some of your program graduates into our program here; we’ve got contractors needing well-prepared ready-to-work folks.”  The facility recently hosted the annual apprentice skills contests and provides advanced training for apprentices, journeyworkers and instructors for Bricklayer and Allied Craftworker programs across the country.  
photo (l-r): Local 1 President Scott Garvin, Local 1 mason Kevin Hare, Building Futures Program Coordinator Sylvia Casaro-Dietert, Local 1 Apprenticeship Coordinator Paul Ferenc. photo by Kathleen McKirchy

---