Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116NTCA NEWS 86 TileLetter | November 2016 CTEF raises funds If you’re a regular reader of Tileletter, undoubtedly, you are acquainted with the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF), established in 1996 at the sugges- tion of the Tile Council of North America (TCNA). This educational institution offers local, regional, and national training programs for consumers, installers, construction professionals, architects, designers, building inspectors and sales asso- ciates interested in the sale and installation of ceramic tile. Supportive industry organizations such as the NationalTile Contractors Association (NTCA), Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA), and foreign trade partners Ceramic Tiles of Italy (Italian Tile Producers) and Tile of Spain (Spanish Tile Producers) had long realized that the absence of an educational orga- nization was and would continue to impact the ability to sell product in the American marketplace. The attrition of the current tile industry workforce, at the rate of several thousand per year, also served to compound the problem. When available curricula and educational programs of the time were reviewed, they were found to be sorely in need of updating, or of a proprietary nature, which limited exposure. Armed with funding from the Coverings Tile & Stone Exposition and other industry partners, the decision was made to create from scratch numerous educational and training courses to assist the indus- try in the sales and installation of ceramic tile products. The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization was created for this purpose. Currently, the CTEF has a 9,000-sq.-ft. training facility in Pendleton, S.C., designed to meet the growing demand for ceramic tile-related and hands-on instal- lation courses. Each work area contains a tub and shower that are used as a practice area for tile setting, waterproofing, and shower pan programs. The CTEF warehouse contains an extensive inventory of products donated by manufacturers to pro- vide each student with the oppor- tunity to learn the basics of floor and wall tile installation. CTEF has also been instrumental in the development and imple- mentation of industry certifica- tion programs such the Certified Tile Installer (CTI) and Advanced Certifications for Tile Installers (ACT) evaluations. There is effort afoot to expand the number of regional evaluators so as to make certification more available to local