BH-BL and Capital Region BOCES students Brody Gray and Blaise Boyea say a partnership between BOCES, the Upstate Masonry Institute (UMI) and the Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers (BAC) Local 2 Union is giving them a solid foundation on which to build a successful professional future.
Building Trades and Heavy Equipment Repair and Operation (HERO) students at the Career and Technical Education Center recently completed a masonry industry exposure initiative with UMI and BAC.
“It’s a lot of fun, and it’s something I could be interested in for a career,” said Blaise Boyea, a BH-BL junior who is also enrolled in the HERO program at BOCES.
During the weeklong initiative, students learned the finer art of brick and cement work, with efforts focusing on everything from proper use of “mud” to leveling of blocks and brick, binding patterns and proper equipment usage.
Bailey Reid, a spokesperson for the Upstate Masonry Institute, said the training is crucial to solving a national shortage of masons.
“This type of outreach is important because getting students interested in the trade at a younger age opens their eyes to all the different opportunities that exist,” said Reid.
Jeremiah Bennett, an instructor with the union, said the union “has had success with BOCES and having graduates build solid careers with us.”
“It’s great to see the kids really interested in masonry. It’s nice to see any young people interested in the skilled trades, but particularly to see them interested in masonry and already having a basis of knowledge in the industry [through BOCES],” Bennett said.
Capital Region BOCES Managing Program Coordinator-Business & Community Partnerships Nancy Liddle said, “providing the masonry training in conjunction with BAC is expanding [student] resumes and building strong, transferable skill sets for our students. It gives them broader resumes that make them extremely employable.”
