Submitted by Lorain County Community College.
A new apprenticeship program and associate degree pathway to meet the workforce shortage in skilled trades in the masonry field has begun at Lorain County Community College in partnership with the Ohio Administration District Council Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee.
The associate of applied science degree in Masonry Technology includes four majors – brick laying, cement finishing, restoration, and tile setting and finishing. Additionally, the college announced students can also pursue four one-year technical certificates in the same areas.
“These programs add to LCCC’s ‘learn-and-earn’ pathways in healthcare, manufacturing and skilled trades, which have proven successful for both employers and students. Our partnerships with local unions and employers create a unique learning experience that includes earning potential along the way,” said LCCC President Marcia Ballinger, Ph.D.
The masonry certificates and degrees are designed for apprentices enrolled at one of JATC’s two locations – the Northern Ohio Regional Training Center in Amherst or the Southern Ohio-Kentucky Regional Training Center in Batavia, Ohio. Students will be co-enrolled at LCCC and the JATC with masonry courses delivered at the two JATC locations, while support coursework in math, industrial blueprint reading, construction estimating, and others will be offered online or on LCCC’s campus. The JATC apprenticeships were developed to help fill the talent pipeline as many current masons are reaching retirement age.
“I’m very proud of the partnership we have with LCCC and the masonry program that we’ve developed. Our apprentices are using the most updated technology in clean, modern training facilities while earning documented college credit for crafts that they master,” shared Ken Kudela, director of the OH-KY Administration District Council Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee for Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers.
“By partnering with JATC and area employers, we are able to design programs like this that provide the opportunity for students to gain the education and applied experience that pays them a wage along the way. For employers, they are at the table not only designing the program, but involved in its delivery, creating a workforce ready to work,” said Ballinger.
Participants are part of a four-year paid apprenticeship program, while earning the college technical certificate and have the opportunity to complete the associate degree.
LCCC has additional sponsored and registered apprenticeship programs in areas that include tool & die maker, maintenance technician, pipefitter, electrical, millwright, industrial truck as well as state-tested nursing assistant and emergency medical services apprenticeship pathways in healthcare.
For more on the new program contact Michelle Pawlak, LCCC career and academic advisor for the bricklayers at 440-366-4856 or Tammy Tansey, administrator of apprenticeship and training for bricklayers and allied craftworkers at 440-986-3300.