Plaster Tender Apprentices Earn Journeyperson Status

June 09, 2015 09:00 AM

POMONA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Southern California’s construction industry has been improved thanks to the Southern California Plaster Tenders Joint Apprenticeship Committee. At a graduation ceremony on Sunday, June 7^th, 25 men earned their journeyman credentials after completing the Southern California Plaster Tenders Apprenticeship Program.

Jon Preciado, Business Manager/Secretary-Treasurer of Plaster Tenders Local 1414, as well as Apprenticeship Coordinator for the program, states, “I’m very proud of these individuals for becoming journeymen. The economic recession over the past four years really slowed the building industry and limited the work opportunities for these men. Their perseverance is paying off because building construction has come back in a big way in Southern California and now there is plenty of work available for these new journeymen and the apprentices.”

To attain journeyperson status, each apprentice must complete no less than 320 hours of classroom instruction and log at least 2,400 hours of on-the-job training. Classroom instruction covers a multitude of courses related to the industry. On-the-job training and classroom training covers cement plaster applications, Exterior Insulated Finish Systems (EIFS), fireproofing, interior plaster, scaffold building and mechanical equipment with a strong emphasis on plaster and fireproofing pump operation and maintenance. Additionally, several safety and certification courses are part of the training, including OSHA 30 training, first aid and CPR, aerial boom/scissor lift, scaffold user, scaffold builder, forklift, and pump certification.

Members of the wall and ceiling industry spoke highly of the apprenticeship program and its training. “The Plaster Tenders Apprenticeship Program is incredibly valuable for companies like mine,” said John Heck, General Superintendent of Perlite Plastering. “The program’s teaching of the technical nuances for each segment of the plastering industry and the emphasis on job-site safety plus the high level of job performance expected of the apprentices by Jon at Local 1414 produce a journeyman that is second to none.”

The program has graduated 165 safe, skilled plaster tenders since its inception. There are more than 60 apprentices currently enrolled in the program with new applicants entering nearly every week. Apprenticeship candidates first must pass a physical agility test that assesses their ability to handle the heavy rigors of the trade and an oral interview. Successful candidates are then drug tested before being accepted into the program.

The Southern California Plaster Tenders Joint Apprenticeship Committee is a partnership between the Western Wall and Ceiling Contractors Association (WWCCA) and Plaster Tenders Local 1414, an affiliate Local Union of the Southern California District Council of Laborers (SCDCL).