The Jobs Fair at Ferris State University continues to be one of the industries best avenues for bringing HVACR students into the industry. The industry, through the Michigan MCA jointly sponsor a booth with the Michigan Pipe Trades, outlining the career paths open to them through association with our organizations. It also enables us to collect resumes from the students to make availiable to contractors interested in hiring either summer help, interns, or full-time employees after they have graduated from either the two or four year program. Contractors, along with individual unions increasingly see this as an excellent place to begin a dialog with the students, and participate at the day long event.

School Board Members Conference

Another important area to expose to the construction industry is to the members of the local school boards throughout Michigan. A number of individuals participated at their statewide conference in Grand Rapids. The cooperation of the various factions of the contruction industry was most apparent at this program, as all booths were attached together in one long show of support.

The MSCA Student Chapter at Ferris State University recently held their First Aid & CPR Training Program of the year 2000. The program was sponsored by Greater Michigan MSCA and put on by Michigan Construction Trades Safety Institute (MCTSI).

MCTSI is a Michigan Constuction Labor-Management Initiative brought about by a cross section of labor and management (association) interests from within Michigan's organized construction industry. It does safety training throughout the state on jobsites, classrooms, and union halls.

The course was for individuals who did not have current CPR & First Aid certification cards. The program was begun by the Greater Michigan MSCA last year, for its Student Chapter to give members one additional item to prepare them for working in the industry.

Upon successful completion of the 8-hour course, participants recieved a Save-A-Life Club card valid for one year. Enrollees are eligible to attend yearly refresher courses. By attending a refresher course each year, initial certification cards will be automatically renewed.

Refresher courses will be scheduled for the students who took the training last year so that as they graduate they will have up-to-date first aid cards.