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Media contact Hazel Bradford Director of Communications hbradford@imiweb.org (410) 280-1305 (202) 288-9175 cell

National Masonry Training Center Opens in Maryland
Investing in the future for craftworkers, designers and builders

August 1, 2007

BOWIE, MD—North America’s leading training program for the masonry trades has a new flagship center in Bowie, Maryland. The 25-acre campus of the BAC/IMI National Training Center (NTC) will offer skilled craft training in all the masonry trades, plus educational programs for building designers and contractors.

While many industries and media focus on manpower shortages, the new National Training Center offers hope.  “We have made a significant commitment to invest in the future of the industry,” says IMI Co-Chair and BAC President John J. Flynn. “Instead of talking about a workforce crisis, we are taking action.”

The International Masonry Institute (IMI) is funded by the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) and the signatory contractors who employ them. BAC is the oldest continuous union in North America, with more than 100,000 members, representing all trowel trades craftworkers: brick, block, stone, marble, tile, terrazzo, plaster, concrete, and restoration.

The $30 million facility includes: a 60,500-square-foot training center, with offices, classrooms and design studios; and a 45,500-square-foot conference center with offices, recreation facilities, and rooms for 108 students. It can accommodate 2,000 students annually, and has approval for an additional 3,000-s.f. dormitory.

IMI is the only national organization training in all the masonry crafts. Training is offered for all levels of craftworkers, from pre-job apprentices to journeymen and instructors. It is free to BAC members.

“Training apprentices before they start working, instead of ‘learn as you go,’ gives their careers a professional boost, and give contractors a more productive worker,” says IMI Co-Chair Fred Kinateder, president of Kinateder Masonry, Inc. (Waukesha, WI).

With the new campus, IMI will expand its educational offerings for the design and building professions, such as technical design seminars, hands-on programs and Contractor College.

The center will also serve as a living classroom for field testing new products and applications, and assessing the life cycle costs of materials. “This will let owners and developers get a clearer sense of their buildings’ true cost,” says IMI President Joan Calambokidis.

The campus is in the process of obtaining certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, which oversees the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System™.

It is also the new home of IMI's renowned Masonry Camp summer program, where young architects and apprentice craftworkers experience masonry crafts and collaboration.  

For details on IMI programs, go to www.imiweb.org. For information on BAC, go to www.bacweb.org.

BAC/IMI National Training Center FAQs

Does the National Training Center serve local residents?
Yes.  While BAC members from all over North America will come here, the location is particularly advantageous for members from Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia [BAC Local 1], as well as  Pennsylvania [BAC Locals 1, 5, and 9], and West Virginia [BAC Local 15].

Are there other programs or campuses like this?
IMI has regional training centers throughout the U.S. but they do not always offer the full menu of training programs year round. http://www.imiweb.org/training/training_center/index.php

Some construction groups offer some masonry training at individual centers, but IMI is the only comprehensive national program for the masonry trades, with professional curricula and standards, including health and safety.

The National Training Center in Maryland will help ensure an adequate supply of skilled workers in all the masonry crafts. BAC has more than 8,000 apprentices, and the new center will allow more members to receive training, and let BAC local unions stretch their training dollars. [HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO TRAIN A PERSON?]

How many people have been trained so far?
From 1999 to 2006, IMI had a training program at Fort Ritchie, Maryland, a closed Army base, where up to 1,500 BAC members received training. The new campus will accommodate 2,000 students each year.

How does someone get the training?
He or she is referred through their BAC local, where officials track manpower needs in consultation with area contractors. Journey-level workers also request upgrade or specialty training to further their careers. All training is free to BAC members.

A typical pre-job apprentice takes 8-12 weeks of intensive training in a specific masonry craft, plus safety and health courses and jobsite preparedness.

Craft-specific or custom training programs for journey-level workers vary in length, from a few days to a few weeks.

What else does IMI do?
IMI staff architects, engineers and construction professionals work with designers and builders to provide technical design assistance, project-specific consultations, technical seminars, new product testing, and educational programs like Contractor College, Foreman/Supervisor Certification, and AIA-certified continuing education programs.

The campus will also host the annual Instructor Certification Program and the Masonry Camp program for intern architects and apprentice masons, plus special events, including the International Apprentice Contest in September 2007.