Center will help union keep up with the growing needs of the local construction industry boom
By SHERI GASSAWAY
Missouri Correspondent
Hazelwood, MO – In a proactive effort to keep up with growing needs of the St. Louis-area construction industry as a result of the Biden Administration’s Infrastructure & Jobs Act and other major building projects, Cement Masons Local 527 is building a new training center for apprentices and journeymen. The new facility is expected to open in April of next year.
The new 10,000 square-foot building is located at #1 370 Park Terrace in Mills Mall near Cabela’s in Hazelwood, Mo. The project is being run by Keeley Construction with the concrete work being done by Local 527 signatory contractor Fenix Construction.
For years, Local 527 apprentices trained at the Associated General Contractors (ACG) of Missouri Training Center, but the space for Local 527’s program just wasn’t large enough. A couple years ago, the local brought its classroom training in house at its Bridgeton union hall and developed a plan to build its own training center.
‘PROPEL US INTO THE FUTURE’
“We had a vision of wanting to advance in the industry, and we know that all has to do with training,” said Kurt Dierkes, Local 527 business manager. “The number of apprentices has quadrupled in the last couple years, and we decided we needed a new state-of-the-art training center to help propel us into the future.
Local 527 Financial-Secretary Brad Campbell explained that in the old facility, apprentices would be trained by using hand mixers to pour small, concrete pads because that’s all the room they had. He said apprentices get the majority of their on-the-job training by doing volunteer concrete work for non-profit agencies.
SAME CONDITIONS AS IN THE FIELD
“We want them to train to like they would out in the field with same types of conditions or as close to it as you can get,” Campbell said.
“About half of the new training center will have 16-foot overhead doors so that we can back a truck in and pour a floor. There’s seven or eight different things they can do with the concrete that’s poured, and then they can tear it out, recycle it and do it again.”
Business Representative Jim Renick, who’s been working on the new project, said the other half of the center will include classroom space.
“Apprentices and journeymen will be able learn computer applications for the industry like blueprints, which are distributed electronically now,” Renick said. “We’ll be able to offer OSHA training and additional training courses for journeymen.”
CONCRETE POLISHING
Dierkes said apprentices and journeymen also will have the opportunity to use concrete polishing equipment provided from other locals.
“There’s a demand for it,” he said. “Now we’ll be able to teach apprentices and journeymen how to polish concrete, which will open up the door for some of our signatory contractors.”
Construction of the new center is expected to be complete by April 2024.
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