September 14, 2007

Opinion

Ontario Masonry Contractors Association focus on education and training

Group engages in curriculum, standards work for industry

JOHN BLAIR

SPECIAL TO DCN

The Ontario Masonry Contractors Association (OMCA) is a contractor-driven, contractor-focused organization that has taken a leadership role in its commitment to the future of the masonry industry.

The OMCA is doing this through expanding the knowledge of masonry design in universities and to practising design professionals as well as ensuring the availability of a skilled workforce.

It is a fundamental ap-proach to expanding market for masonry systems that OMCA has embraced in principle and with active financial backing.

The OMCA is a major contributor to the Ontario Masonry Training Centre (OMTC), which operates out of Mississauga and Ottawa and is now working with Conestoga College on a new joint-venture.

"The objective is to provide apprentices with an environment that comes as close to working out in the field."

John Blair

Ontario Masonry Contractors’ Association

The objective is to provide apprentices with an environment that comes as close to working out in the field.

This means it operates regular working hours that they would find onsite, as well as provides opportunity to work in the field on various community projects with close supervision from OMTC instructors.

The new joint venture is particularly exciting as it will stand as a model of other relationships that the OMTC may be looking to forge with other colleges.

The OMCA is also represented on the Provincial Advisory Committee, which has recently revamped the Brick and Stone Mason curriculum to include the basic 24-week program as well three six-week specialty areas, for post-certification skill enhancement.

These three areas include, ICI construction, refractory and stone and restoration. This new model provides ongoing training to the Red Seal Bricklayers and increases the depth of skills in the workforce.

On the other hand, it is extremely important to have designers who are knowledgeable in the effective design for masonry systems. When it was ascertained that masonry was not a major part of the many engineering programs, the OMCA sponsored a chair in the Effective Design of Masonry at McMaster University.

It hired an in-house engineer to liaise with the design community and masonry contractors.

This evolved into the Canada Masonry Design Centre (CMDC), which is supported by the OMCA and other provincial chapters of masonry contractors, known as Venture Partners.

Through the CMDC, the OMCA has access to technical expertise and a voice to talk to the design community.

The CMDC recently published the first Canadian masonry design textbook, Masonry Structures: Behaviour and Design, authoured by Dr. Robert Drysdale, the former chair of the Centre of Effective Masonry Design at McMaster, and Dr. Ahmad Hamid.

The CMDC is also heavily involved in the development of the CSA Designs Standards for Masonry, which have a significant impact on the masonry materials and construction, as well as teaching an engineering course at various locations across Canada.

The CMDC also liaises with a number of universities across Canada, sponsoring and contributing towards research in masonry.

This increases the number of young engineers that have masonry design knowledge and keeps our industry competitive.

The OMCA is also part of a national organization, the Canadian Masonry Contractors Association, which also has national training initiatives.

Two that are currently in the works are establishing an On the Job Training Program for apprentices and developing reference material for apprentices, as currently there is no Canadian textbook that covers the scope of their training.

The OMCA is proud of all the accomplishments it has achieved to date, but is always looking to the future of this industry and those initiatives that will move them forward.

Through its partnerships and financial support of the OMTC and the CMDC it has made a major contribution to the masonry industry for all involved, and will continue to do so.

John Blair is the Executive Director of the Ontario Masonry Contractors’ Association.

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