Mount Vernon, IA – Concrete Foundations Association is excited to announce that sixteen individuals received recognition in the first year of a new industry professional development program titled “Wall Foreman Qualification Certificate.” This newly established education effort pairs management skills with technical development education to fill a void and become a solid part of the future transformation of this industry.  

The Wall Foreman Qualification Certificate program was born out of strategic planning conducted by the Board of Directors for the CFA in 2020. “While maneuvering the challenges faced during the global pandemic, the Board went to work through strategic planning with a goal of identifying critical resources and opportunities for the Association,” said James Baty, CFA’s executive director. “The vision from this plan is a future where a concrete tradesperson already serving as a wall foreman, or anyone seeking that career path, can find structured opportunities for professional development.”

Through this program, the CFA serves part of its mission to be the voice and recognized authority for the cast-in-place residential concrete industry, with our collected thought leadership and consistently developing resources. While considering the best way to launch this program, the decision was quickly reached to partner with the World of Concrete, owned by Informa Markets. The CFA has been a cosponsor with the World of Concrete for nearly 40 years and has been a WOC Education Partner for the better part of the last two decades.

“We readily recognize the measure of quality delivered annually at WOC,” said Jason Ells, executive vice president for Custom Concrete of Westfield, Indiana, and current CFA Board president. “We are thrilled to be able to incorporate the depth and breadth of their valued and vital education with specifically focused industry training brought by our instructors so that employees in this market sector can begin identifying with intentional professional development.”

The inaugural launch for the CFA Wall Foreman Qualification Certificate Program began with six hours of specific residential concrete foundations training provided in a dedicated track by reputable professionals. These six hours were paired with a matrix of electives that were prequalified by the CFA’s Board, and individuals could select from them based on interest, applicability to business, and schedule availability. Education electives offered information on business practice, leadership, management skills, codes, standards, and much more. Individuals who attended a minimum of twelve hours of qualified education during WOC 2023 were recognized.  

“The first year for this program could not have gone better,” said Baty. “We saw between 30 and 60 registered for the industry-specific training we offered on Thursday of WOC week, and over two dozen submitted coursework for qualification approval.” Working with WOC education staff, the CFA continues to refine this program to open more opportunities for those seeking to demonstrate their desire to learn, especially as many of them have their companies’ interest in advancing their skills. Baty serves on the WOC Education Advisory Committee to better prepare and equip the program to benefit from the variety and quality of seminars each year.

“WOC Industry Training Courses were introduced in 2012 with seven industry associations presenting sixteen courses,” said Bonnie King, senior education manager for World of Concrete. “This very important segment of the WOC Education Program now includes over 25 partners presenting 50+ sessions. We are proud to partner with so many industry leaders like the CFA to create specific industry-focused opportunities for their members and the industry at large from among the broad range of topics we offer each year.”

Interested persons can learn more about the Concrete Foundations Association and the Wall Foreman Qualification Certificate Program by visiting www.cfaconcretepros.org. Association members have access to portions of this learning opportunity by logging in to their member account and selecting CFA Classroom from the Member Landing page or the Resources menu. For more information about this and other programs offered by the Association to its members, contact Skye Kelley at skelley@cfaconcretepros.org or by phone at 319-895-6940. For more information on World of Concrete and the education delivered each year, visit www.worldofconcrete.com.