5 Things You Should Know About the MTI Program Powered by WASCO

For anyone wanting more out of career that doesn’t include college debt.

Formerly known as EOTO, Each One Teach One, Masonry Training Institute or MTI is a structured work/study program exclusively available to WASCO employees. It combines on-the-job work and new skills training with classroom sessions to increase your knowledge and abilities. 

The program was originally designed and created from the ground up. In an effort to improve overall workforce efficiency and safety. Laborers weren’t getting any raises in pay, not getting promoted and they were not improving in the job. In an effort to get employees to be motivated to have a sustainable career in masonry, and to move up the company ladder, management called a meeting among Mason Tenders and this is essentially what evolved.

 

  1. Learn as you earn.

As a WASCO employee, you’re eligible to enroll in the MTI program. You are paired with experienced employees, where you are then introduced to new skills on the job. As you master new skills, you are then eligible for evaluations that can increase your hourly pay rates and earn valuable industry certifications.

 

  1.   How far can I go?

MTI provides the opportunities and the training you need to advance to full-time management, overseeing the work of multiple crews and complex projects. MTI has the instruction, experienced mentors, and opportunities that will allow you to master those skills too.

 

  1. How much can I earn?

The need and job market for skilled, certified masons is constant. In a growing economy, new builds and expansions offer skilled, certified masons countless opportunities. Even in softer economies, repair and renovation work exists in the residential, institutional, civic, and business sectors. 

Most begin their careers as Mason Tenders, with a starting hourly rate of $15.00/hour. With additional training and specialties certifications, you could earn an additional $9.50/hour, for a total possible pay rate of $24.50/hour as a Mason Tender and that is just the beginning. Certified, experienced masons who manage multiple crews and projects can go on to earn a six-figure income.

 

  1. How long will it take?

That depends on you, how hard you are willing to work. If you have the talent and the drive, here is what to expect. Once enrolled in MTI, your 40 hour work week will be supplemented by 4 additional hours of class time monthly, usually on a Saturday morning. During these Saturday morning classes, you’ll learn principles and science of masonry and restoration that you’ll put to work on the job. 

As you learn and demonstrate competency at each new skill, you and your mentor mason will determine when you’re ready for testing and certification. With each new skill certification you earn, you’ll see increased pay and new opportunities on the job.

How far you go, and how quickly you get there, depends on your drive and your skill. On average, MTI students advance from Mason Tender (ground floor) to a Lead Tender or Apprentice in as little as two to  three years.

 

  1. WASCO is family.

The hopes and dreams of this program is to make it a more professional approach to attract better candidates to join the WASCO family. We want WASCO to be a place where you could grow personally and professionally, to go home everyday with a huge sense of self-accomplishment.

 

In his own words…

Heath Maclean is 27 years old and started with WASCO at the age of eighteen. As someone who went through the EOTO program (now MTI), he wanted to share his experience and what it has done for him in his personal and professional life.

“The EOTO program has been very beneficial in my career at WASCO. I’ve learned a lot from it and have also made some good friends in the process. WASCO is a large company and I was 18 when I started. The EOTO program was a good way to get to know people so I wasn’t a complete stranger when I showed up on a new jobsite. I was fresh out of jail and had never had a job before. The EOTO attitude is to help the new guy out, which is not always the case in construction. As long as I was willing to show up on time on a regular basis and work hard I was always met by somebody willing to teach me a new skill, which increased my pay, my love for this work and my personal confidence. I love getting to a new jobsite, having no idea what is going to be built there and being a part of the whole process of building something, literally piece by piece that will be there for years to come. 

I would highly recommend anyone to give this a shot. I am now 27 years old. I own a nice house, a nice truck, and make more than enough money to live comfortably. Most importantly, I get to pass on that knowledge and teach any of the skills I’ve received over the years to the new guys that I get to work around.”