April 2018 was a busy month for the NTCA van that carries Mark and Connie Heinlein along the workshop trail. Here Connie shares her insider view on workshops and regional training that month. – Ed. ––––––––––––––––––– We left home in Michigan’s U.P. on April 10th for a 2,300-mile round trip to New York and New Jersey for workshops and regional training. A trip like that brings many challeng- es: packing all the necessary equip- ment from trowels to tablecloths, finding comfortable and affordable hotels, eating healthy, performing a great training even when we are road weary, and discovering some fun along the way. On this particular trip the fun involved Broadway tickets and a birthday celebration. Another thing that keeps things fun and exciting is that each workshop is different and has its own unique per- sonality and atmosphere. Location, season, attendance, topic, even the dinner menu affect the individuality of an NTCA workshop. Here is a sampling of just a few of our many amazing NTCA work- shop experiences, and a view of a Regional Training Program. TRAINING & EDUCATION ––––––––––––– Riding Shotgun: two weeks on the NTCA Workshop trail An occasional series by Connie Heinlein This month, we launch a new section: Training & Education. The intent of this section is to let you know about the ongoing efforts in the indus- try towards bringing the trade to a new generation of tile setters, recaps or announcements of workshops and regional trainings and how some contractors are devising their own apprenticeship programs, often using materials from NTCA. Are you teaching a class or developing a program or supporting the trade in some way with outside-the-box training, edu- cation or outreach? Contact me at lesley@tile-assn.com to let me know! 92 TileLetter | June 2018