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Saskatchewan Centre for Masonry Design

At the 2008 Masonry Awards Gala held February 7, 2009, Saskatchewan Masonry Institute President Luc Durette of Scorpio Masonry SK Ltd., and Treasurer Dominic Iula of City Masonry Contractors Ltd., announced an endowment of 1.25 million dollars to the University of Saskatchewan to ensure continuing quality and stability in masonry design education for engineers.

This endowment in the name of the industry’s association, the Saskatchewan Masonry Institute (SMI), was made possible by the financial investments of Gracom Masonry a JV, City Masonry Contractors Ltd., Scorpio Masonry SK Ltd., Steinhubl’s Masonry Ltd., Koby Masonry Construction, Walchuk Masonry Ltd., Cindercrete Products Ltd., Expocrete Concrete Products Ltd. and the Canada Concrete Masonry Producers Association.

The new endowment for the Saskatchewan Centre for Design in Masonry will go a long way to produce well rounded engineers with advanced knowledge in masonry, as well as provide opportunities for new research to ensure the industry is on the leading edge.

Planning for the Saskatchewan Centre has begun and will be phased in over the next five to seven years. In the meantime, the current engineering curriculum will be enriched with masonry design, translating into a stronger, more innovative masonry industry.

For further details see page 5 of April 2009 Newsletter.

Centre of Excellence:
Business Plan
and
Prairie Provinces Training Improvement
Coordinator Feasibility Assessment

The Masonry Industry in Saskatchewan and the Prairie Region as a whole has been working for several years to address various Human Resource issues at the national level. The Saskatchewan Masonry Institute (SMI) in partnership with Local 1 of the International Union of Bricklayers and Craftworkers (IUBAC) sought funding from Saskatchewan Learning and the Department of Western Economic Diversification to improve the training and development of the workforce, in Saskatchewan and across the Prairie Region.

Employers in the masonry industry face a serious, long-term shortage of the work force skills they need to compete and expand. To meet this challenge requires ramping up the number of apprentices trained and providing upgrade training for journeypersons in the industry. The training currently available to the industry falls short of meeting the industry’s needs,especially in delivering certified (Red Seal) workers, and the overall number of entrants.

The SMI in partnership with IUBAC Local 1 has completed a business case analysis for a Saskatchewan Masonry Training Centre of Excellence. We have looked at our training needs and identified strategies to ensure a viable workforce for the future.

Yours truly,
Bob Afseth
Executive Director

The findings from this report are available for download by clicking this link.