online apprenticeship curriculum,” he added. “We have worked with several of our members to help them use this educational tool to recruit new people into the trade and to train their current staff. It is our hope that this program can be integrated with supervised and field-related training. “The reason this is so important is that we believe that tile installation is a highly skilled craft that takes several years to master,” Bettiga continued. “Why is this important? Because we have a big job to do, and it is perfectly illustrated in this paper. We must raise the wages of our trained tile installers if we are going to recruit talented young people into our trade. We cannot continue to be grouped with other flooring trades that quite frankly are not as complex, nor do they take as long to master. Tile install- ers should be making wages like other trades that are considered to be highly skilled.” Clearly, CTIs, ACT-certified tile setters and NTCA Five Star Contractors exhibit “the special- ized apprenticeships, licenses or certifications that demonstrate an understanding of the trade and command a premium in the mar- ket” that David indicated is a pre- requisite for higher wages. Getting the word out to end users to look for those craftspeople with creden- tialed skills is an ongoing initiative in this industry. BUSINESS TIP ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WHERE GROWING YOUR BUSINESS IS OUR PURPOSE. Joe Lundgren is a globally recognized product and marketing expert in the ceramic and stone worldwide markets. His specialty is Business Development, Product Management, and Marketing. Joe has developed his expertise in strategic planning, new product development, and marketing strategy for North America during his 27 year career at Dal-Tile, a subsidiary of Mohawk Industries. Joe has extensive experience in multiple sales channels including distribution and Home Centers. Additionally, Joe represents the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) for its testing laboratories, which has Joe at the epicenter of the industry for all new initiatives. Please contact Joe Lundgren for a free consultation proposal! +1.214.641.7773 JOSEPHLUNDGRENCONSULTING.COM 38 TileLetter | June 2018