b'PRESIDENTS LETTERChris WalkerSuccesses, initiatives and priorities for the new yearIts January, a new decade, and Ishort modules that can be completed am excited to reflect on NTCAs suc- onlineatonesconvenience. They cesses, new initiatives and prioritiesare arranged in a logical progression for the year. The main charter of theof the required skills and information NTCA starts and finishes with pro- someonewouldneedtostartnew fessionaldevelopment.Inkeepingin the office or field. This allows the with that, the association is alwaysparticipant to make good use of their looking for ways to bring value totime and take greater responsibility itsmembershipthroughtraining,for their success. professionalresources,andtoactNTCAEducation&Curriculum as a repository for current industryDirectorBeckySerbin,alongwith information,productinformationateamofvolunteers,createdan and events. apprentice program recognized by DOL for its innovative use of inter-NTCA Apprenticeship Guidelinesnetmodules.Companiesarejust Program learninghowtousethemodules Therearetangibleexamplesoffortrainingofficeandinstallation theassociationssuccessthisyear,teams and are only scratching the starting with approval of the NTCAsurfaceofhowtoeffectivelyuse Apprenticeship Guidelines Programthis tool. It can be a supplement to by the Department of Labor (DOL).existing training or it can function The apprentice program is the cul- as a fully developed apprentice pro-minationofamulti-yearinitiativegram. We hope that the benefits of that started with the good intentionsapprentice training will be apparent of updating the existing apprenticeas modules continue to be created program.Thatundertakingquicklytoaddressdetailedaspectsoftile developed into a more complex andand stone installation. advanced goal when it became clear thatatotaloverhaulwasrequiredRegional training seminars, to be a better resource that broughtNTCA Workshops value to the development of quali- Theimmediatepopularityof fied labor. The program now includesregional training seminars led to new 26TileLetter | January 2020'