Team IMTEF

The construction industry doesn't have a shortage of skilled craftworkers—it has a workforce planning crisis, according to North America's Building Trades Unions.
“The unionized construction industry built the training infrastructure, contractor partnerships, and workforce pipeline required to meet this moment. That capacity exists right now,” NABTU President Sean McGarvey said in a statement. “Owners and contractors already plan early for specialized equipment, supply chains, permitting, and manufacturing lead times. Workforce strategy must be treated the same way: as a core project input addressed at the front end, not as an afterthought once labor demand is already peaking.”
At IMI, our technical team is here to help you plan your next project, providing the tools and knowledge you need to build responsibly. And IMTEF's training programs for BAC craftworkers help build a safe, skilled, and productive workforce.
You can read NABTU’s full statement here: https://hubs.la/Q04jX9zQ0

As we wrap up Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we're spotlighting Jacob Nelson, journeyworker and organizer with BAC LOCAL 1 - Minnesota/North Dakota/South Dakota.

Nelson has worked in various trowel trades in his 20 years as a union member, including brick, marble, and stone. Stone is his favorite, he said, because he can be more creative with it.

“It’s more like a puzzle,” he said.

Nelson has been involved with plenty of unique restoration projects over the years, including the Minnesota Twins stadium and the Winged Figures of the Republic statues at the Hoover Dam’s Monument Plaza center. But his work on the Minnesota State Capitol building stands out as a career highlight. Throughout the 3-year project, he worked on marble Dutchman repairs around the building, then served as the foreman on the part of the project involving renovations to the building plaza.

His advice to young craftworkers? Keep growing and getting more experience.

“As time progresses, you’ll stay busy,” he said. “Don’t give up.”

We're celebrating BAC craftworkers for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Waylon James Keahi Mudget, vice president of BAC Local 1 Hawaii, joined the BAC 21 years ago and said it was one of the best decisions he ever made.

“Working with my union brothers and sisters, I learned craft skills that benefit me in and out of the field in my daily life," Mudget told AFL-CIO recently.

Read more: https://hubs.la/Q04hy4Kn0

Mom of 4, Sabrina St. Pierre, joined the BAC and started working in refractory when her oldest child was in high school.
Her career path, marked by hard work, long hours, and lots of travel, has proven to be a strong example for her kids, “who are my biggest cheerleaders,” said St. Pierre, journeyworker with Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local 1 Washington and Alaska.
Her daughter Riley, 21, followed closely in her footsteps and joined the BAC, and now works as a tile apprentice. And her youngest child, Savannah, 19, has started working on plans to create a scholarship to send young family members to NABTU's annual Women Build Nations conference.
“She’s in college studying to be an orthopedic surgeon, but she sees the importance of women in the trades,” St. Pierre said.
She describes her 4 children as being in different lanes, but on the same highway. Her son Robbie, 23, also went into the trades and works as a mechanic and a machinist. Her oldest daughter, Sierra, 25, has a union job working as a postmaster.
“A lot of it has just been me listening to them and showing them that they can do what they want to do,” she said.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of our moms!

Brad Celmer, historic restoration stone mason and certified welder, signed up for the rainscreen installation class at the International Training Center to learn more about a growing part of his industry.
"In our area, there are a lot of rainscreen projects that are going out to bid, and they need masons," said Celmer, with Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers/ADC of NJ Locals 4 & 5. "So I wanted to learn this part of our craft."
Celmer, who also took the adhered veneer class, said he walked away with a better understanding of the technical part of installation. But what he really loved was the camaraderie with the instructors and other students.
"Just being hands on and working with others is great, and the teachers are top notch," he said.

For National Apprenticeship Week, we’re spotlighting Noah Lecher, a third-generation bricklayer and apprentice with BAC Local 5 PA, who's currently training with us at the international training center!
Lecher grew up around the trowel trades. His grandfather became a bricklayer once he got out of the Army, then his father joined the family business when he was in high school, eventually going on to open his own company specializing in restoration.
Lecher said he always knew he wanted to follow in his family’s footsteps.
“I knew I didn’t want to sit at a desk all day,” he said.
He decided to get a bachelor’s degree in history first to have another career to fall back on before becoming an apprentice. He enrolled in pre-job training at the international training center this spring, where he learned all the basics of laying brick and block, along with the different materials and how they work together.
Lecher encouraged others who are interested in pursuing a career in the building trades to consider pre-job training, even if they have no experience.
“All you have to do is ask questions, and the instructors are happy to answer them,” he said.

Apprenticeship and a college degree? You don’t have to choose 🤝

This new partnership is creating a clear path from apprenticeship to associate and bachelor’s degrees in Applied Engineering Technology or Construction Management for Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers/ADC of NJ Locals 4 & 5 craftworkers. https://hubs.la/Q04f79Qq0

NJIT Hudson County Community College

NJIT, Hudson County Community College and Bricklayers Union Sign Letter of Intent to Develop Apprenticeship-to-Degree Pathway New Jersey Institute of Technology, Hudson County Community College and the New Jersey Administrative District Council of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers signed a Letter of Intent on April 23 to develop a new academic and workforce development partnership designed to connect apprenticeship train...