Another plus is that it is tailored to fit each student. “It’s targeted to what I need for the card,” says Mudge, who visited the center last year for the basics. When some jobs required her to replace bricks, she wanted to improve those skills. “That will help me a lot when I get back,” she says.

For Bivens, who also works in brick and block, the course gave him “enough to get started. If you know what to do, it makes you more sure of yourself,” he says.

The apprentices also get a three-day course in Jahn historical restoration materials, which are used on stone, brick, marble and terra cotta. The manufacturer requires a strict certification process for anyone buying or using it, and IMI offers both training and certification. An added bonus is that the materials are considered “green,” which also helps their employers.

The Flynn Center scaffold station gives Gallet (left) and Bivens realistic experience.

Bivens credits his employer for getting him into PCC by pushing him to take on more responsibility after laboring for fifteen years. “He threw me a life preserver,” he says. For Mudge, a mother of four whose jobs included kindergarten teacher, a friend in the trade convinced her to try it, because she liked working outside and being active. Gallet had a “great gig” with Northwest Airlines, but after several airlines folded, he realized that “it’s just not the industry to be in.”  Originally, he planned to try PCC “for a couple of weeks,” but discovered he had a knack for it, and today enjoys caulking and waterproofing work.

All three had a fast-paced apprenticeship working on several major PCC projects in Indianapolis. Those have just ended, but they are optimistic that their skills will make them more marketable. They also appreciate the advantage that the training gives Local 4 overall, now that a major open shop training center has opened in the area. “It shows them and the contractors what we can do,” says Bivens.