Finishing up their fourth week of the six-week training program, Building Futures trainees learned brick laying and masonry last week from Paul Ferenc, apprenticeship and training coordinator of the Bricklayers and Allied Craftsworkers Local 1. Trowels at the ready, the students got hands-on experience that added one more skill to ready them for a career in the building and construction trades. “Bricklaying and masonry, like any building and construction skill, is part of the foundation of stable employment in this industry,” said Ferenc. “Modern day construction requires top skills, discipline and commitment and we give Building Futures students a solid introduction.” Building Futures is a program of the Community Services Agency (CSA) of the Metro Washington Council. The program provides training and support for disadvantaged DC residents seeking union careers in the building and construction trades. “Thanks to our union training partners at the Bricklayers and Masons, and many others, Building Futures not only opens doors to real careers, it helps promote a wider understanding of what the labor movement does every day to make our communities stronger, ” said Sylvia Casaro-Dietert, who coordinates the program for CSA.