b'PRESIDENTS LETTERChris WalkerApprentice training: how could that be a bad thing?TheU.S.Departmentofsafety.Inadditiontoinstallation Laborrecentlyapprovedtheproficiencies,theprogramexten-NTCAsNationalGuidelinesforsivelycoversgeneralconstruction ApprenticeshipStandards.Thisispractices you will need to know in the result of years of work by peo- order to properly perform our craft. plepassionateabouttrainingandTheNTCAApprenticeGuidelines development for anyone interestedProgram is a rigorous five-year pro-in the art of professionally installinggram modeled after traditional pro-beautiful products.grams,butaddsmultipleperfor-For years, NTCA has had a three- mance and competency tests over yearfederallyrecognizedappren- the life of the program. These test ticeprogramfortilesetters. Whatfor industry knowledge and instal-isnewisthatNTCAhasexpand- lationskills,whichcouldprovide edtheprogramandreceivedfor- theopportunitytomovethrough malacceptanceintotheNationalthe program quicker based on pro-Apprenticeship System. Our updat- ficiency. At completion or before, a ed courses with new material incor- candidate will have completed the porateanonlinetrainingelementrequirementsforOSHA10-and that is transformative in its applica- 30-hourtrainingandwillhaveto tion and ease of use. The programscomplete the Certified Tile Installer onlinetrainingmodulessupple- (CTI) exam. They also have an option mentrequiredclassroomtraining.totake AdvancedCertificationfor The program does not require sepa- Tile (ACT) if they wish. rate training facilities. Its intendedI remember coming to the indus-tobemixedwithon-sitetraining,try as a part-time laborer almost 35 in-the-field application, mandatoryyears ago when I returned to school. classroomreviewandapprenticesI wish I had known of similar oppor-completing the online modules ontunities when I was starting out. their own.Theshortageofqualifiedlabor NTCAvolunteersandstaffhavecontinues to be one the most press-been creating, writing and produc- ingissuesfacingtheconstruction ingtheinstructional/educationaltradesmaybe THE most pressing videosrelatedtotileandworkissue. This is not only true for tile, 20TileLetter | September 2019'