4 2017 | TECH As our association membership continues to grow, the NTCA staff and board of directors are committed to increasing our efforts to provide member value through training and education. Plans in 2018 include regional programs that will offer focused hands-on training for tile installers. We are planning on offering these programs in all of the 12 geographic regions that make up the NTCA membership, and we will organize a collaborative effort that combines staff, regional directors, state ambassadors and associate support to bring this all together. We are testing a prototype of this format in October of this year in Wisconsin, and will make adjustments for 2018 after we complete this program. Regional training for NTCA members and their installa- tion crews is a top strategic objective the board of direc- tors approved in January of 2017. NTCA training director Mark Heinlein and training and education coordinator Becky Serbin are spearheading this effort, and the sup- port they are receiving from volunteers in the industry has been overwhelming. On behalf of our staff and board of directors, we want to thank everyone who is assist- ing Mark and Becky with their time, energy, money and resources. Together we can make a difference in training, but it will take people involved on both a national and local level to make this happen. Similarly, we are also embarking on an ambitious pro- gram to launch apprenticeship training in many markets. With the help of some of our contractor members, we are working to offer these programs in many states, and hope to have tile installation training accepted into many construction skills-based programs. One thing that has become painfully clear is that our staff does not have the resources to carry out these initiatives without contractor support at the local level. We will address these opportu- nities when the contractors locally approach us. NTCA University was created to accomplish two things: 1.To offer installation-based training for installers, sales- people, designers and specifiers of tile, manufacturers and distributors, etc. 2.To offer apprenticeship-based training to assist contrac- tors to develop either in-house programs or to collabo- rate with other contractors and local training centers, technical schools, colleges, etc. Becky Serbin, the NTCA training and education coor- dinator, is in charge of this program. We will soon finish the second year of a two-year Finisher Program and will embark on the Tile Setter courses next. These courses are designed to complement both classroom and on-the- job training. Becky can help contractors develop these programs in their local market, and can walk contractors through training the crews and managing their progress on NTCA University. Many of our members are using NTCA University to train all of their crews in weekly meetings, and they are reporting that this is a great way to involve everyone in this effort. Even trained installers benefit from refresher courses and the interaction with both new and existing employees. Superintendents and project managers use this time to connect with the crews on important topics and reminders. We are really excited to see our mem- bers use these courses in this way, and we encourage all of you to check out the University on our website at www.tile-assn.com. Sincerely, Bart Bettiga NTCA executive director, publisher bart@tile-assn.com PUBLISHER'S LETTER NTCA 2018 plans call for increased emphasis on tile installation training By Bart Bettiga