The Masonry Association of Florida, Inc. along with the Florida Concrete & Products Association formed an apprentice foundation to add new and expand masonry apprentice programs. The Florida Masonry Apprentice and Education Foundation, Inc. was created in 2002 to add new and expand existing apprenticeship programs and offer education to the masonry industry. The Mission of the Foundation is to coordinate and provide education of the masonry trade. The strategic goals of the Foundation are: - Increase the participating & employing contractor base by promoting apprenticeship to MAF and non-MAF masonry contractors. - Increase activities to coordinate education and conduct skill building training to the masonry, specifying and construction industries. - Increase education efforts about apprenticeship to Florida legislators, Department of Education, the Agency for Workforce Innovation and local Workforce Development Boards. - Maintain the current apprenticeship feeder systems such as pre-apprenticeship, Workforce Development and community based programs. The Masonry Association of Florida and the Florida Masonry Apprentice & Educational Foundation are aggressively addressing the opportunity to recruiting and training new masons for our industry. Currently, there are fourteen apprentice programs running throughout the state with approximately 300 apprentices enrolled. However, these efforts are not enough to keep up with the demand of the masonry trade to keep our industry viable and competitive. It is estimated that 300-500 new masons per year are needed to support demand and address attrition.