Report of the MCAA Certification Committee

Words: Robert GladuThe Certification Committee would like to submit our proposed changes to our Masonry Certification Program along with the reasons for the proposed changes.
Proposed changes are as follows;
  • We would like to change the amount of current Certification credits from 100 to 75 for the Primary along with the Supervisors still requiring 15 credits. We feel this will quicken the process without watering down the curriculum so that we can increase the numbers certified in order for the Architects to start specifying Certified masons for their projects.

  • The current 6 Modules will remain the same with the added change of having an online test (Review Exam) done after each module is completed. These will be kept and used as a reference at their Final exam. This will give them a sense of accomplishment and will give them a feeling of being closer to being complete with the module closed.

  • Renewal Process changes where the primary will be required to get 45 credit hours in lieu of the previous 75 & the supervisors will still need the 15 credit hours as it was before over the 3-year process. We feel that these amount of hours are too many to obtain and we are going to start losing members because we are taking too long to get the Architects specifying them and they don’t see any benefit for the program. Having a hard time retaining members as is.

  • We are also suggesting that during the renewal process the Certified Contractor can decide for themselves what modules they feel best fit the needs for their company to achieve their 45 renewal credits.

  • Needing to change 13 vague questions on the Final Exam to make the answers more precise. We are currently having the certification committee work on these corrections.

  • We would also like to see the Final Exam be able to be taken at the Mid Year meeting along with our typical Convention site and if enough contractors request it, we can have several take the exam in their state with proper supervision. We will work with the local associations to coordinate this effort.

  • We would also like to remove the wording of “revocation” from the Certification Program for now and just input that they are “currently working on the renewal process”. Along with that allow the members another 60-90 days to complete their renewal credits.
We are also working closely with our Local Masonry Associations that currently have a local certification program to see how we can merge their programs with ours. So far we are having encouraging dialogue. We would like to give them some type of incentive to get this bond built before the end of 2013.
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