Education
PCMA Workforce Development
The Workforce Development Committee arranges for tool bags, filled with tools of the masonry trade, to be distributed to the top masonry students at the secondary and post secondary levels across the state.
Tool Bag Awards to Top Students
Tool Bag Awards to Top Students
The following awards were distributed for 2025:
Admiral Peary AVTS: Xavier Boring
Bedford Co. Technical Center: Jarret Karns
Berks Career and Tech Center: Jesus Casto-Gonzalez
Bethlehem Area Vocational Tech School: Ryan Freeman-Nield
Career Institute of Technology: Jeremi Morales
Career Technology Center of Lackawanna Co: Collin Hutchins
Central Westmoreland Career & Tech Center: Caleb Connors
Clearfield County Career & Tech Center: Landon Dickson
Cumberland Perry Area Vocational Tech School: Name to come
Dauphin County Technical School: Ross Dietz
Eastern Westmoreland: Jaime Davis
Essex County Schools of Technology: Kaleb Ferrer
Fayette County Career & Technical Institute: Vivian Aranza
Fulton Co. Area Vocational Tech. School: Jillian Sharpe
Greater Altoona Career & Tech Center: Tristen Clark
Indiana County Tech Center: Charles Bertolino
Lebanon Co. Career & Technology Center: Jordan Hartz
Lehigh Career & Technical Institute: Travis Miller
Monroe Career & Tech Institute: James Fahl
Northern Westmoreland CTC: Bryce Hrivnak
Reading-Muhlenberg CTC: Carlos Velis
Somerset County Technology Center: Luke Witt
Sun Area Career and Tech Center: Malachi Angney
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology: Sam Berryman
The Williamson College of the Trades: Josh Illing
Union County Career and Technology Center: Vincent Capone
Upper Buck AVTS: Bryca Ammon
Western Area CTC: Aiden Campbell
Wilkes-Barre, AVTS: No recipient this year
York County School of Technology: Cole Slanker
New Jersey
York County School of Technology: Cole Slanker
PA & NJ Skills Competition
PA Skills Winners 2025
At the competition held April 3, 2025 in Lebanon, PA the following students won awards:
Secondary School
1st Place - $600 Cash Award from Masonry Instructors Association
Owen Heimbach - Berks CTC East Campus (Mike Kern & Tim Fries Instructors)
2nd Place - $300 Cash Award from Masonry Instructors Association
Ryan Freeman-Nield - Bethlehem AVTS (Robert Kulick Instructor)
3rd Place - $200 Cash Award from Masonry Instructors Association
Grant Koehler - Beaver County Career & Technology Center (Arnold Shaner Instructor)
Post Secondary School
1st Place - $600 Cash Award from PCMA
Samuel Berryman - Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology (Mike Gardner & Chad Hummel Instructors)
2nd Place - $300 Cash Award from PCMA
Joshua Illing - Williamson College of the Trades (Pete Zwolak Instructor)
NJ Skills Winner 2025
At the competition held March 20, 2025 in NJ the following student won this award:
Secondary School
1st Place - $200 Cash Award from Masonry Instructors Association
Jonathan Pillacela - Essex County School of Technology (Mark Iacampo Instructor)
Congratulations to these fine students!
Masonry Instructors Association (MIA)
Masonry Instructors Association (MIA)
Organized as a committee of PCMA, the Masonry Instructors Association provides a forum for communication within the secondary and post secondary masonry instructors throughout the State of PA and the Mid-Atlantic region. Masonry Instructors Association members have a voice to advocate for masonry through the PA Department of Education and with the individual Career and Technical Centers statewide. The input of this group is important to the agenda for the Masonry Instructors Workshop and other initiatives related to Workforce Development efforts by PCMA.
2025 Officers
President: Bill Wilson - Eastern Westmoreland CTC
Vice President: Pete Zwolak - Williamson College of the Trades
Treasurer: Ian Whitman - Lebanon County CTC
Masonry Recruitment
Looking for a great CAREER? Become a MASON.
The Masonry Industry Offers Excellent Career Opportunities.
Read our informative brochure for more information about careers in masonry.
National Skills Competition
National Skills Competition
Exciting news!!
Pennsylvania had 2 winners in the 2025 Skills USA Masonry Competition last week in Atlanta, GA.
Gold – 1st place Post-Secondary - Sam Berryman, Thaddeus Steve College of the Trades – instructor Chad Hummel
Silver – 2nd place Secondary - Owen Heimbach, Berks Career & Tech Center – instructor Michael Kern (Jr)
These guys and their instructors should be so proud!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!
Dan Hiltebeitel and Curtis Hoover, among many others, judged at the event – thank you guys!!
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In 2024 Student Sam Berryman won Skills PA as a Junior and Senior at the Secondary level under Mike Kern, Berks CTC and again this year as a first year post-secondary student under Mike Gardner, Thaddeus Stevens College of the Trades.
Sam went on to win the 2024 National Skills Competition recently in Atlanta!! He also got a Bronze Award in his Junior year and Silver Award in his Senior year at the Secondary level.
View the article in Masonry Magazine.
Annual Masonry Instructors Workshop
We are proud to share that 44 masonry instructors in PA, MD and NJ are members of the Masonry Instructors Association that runs as a committee of PCMA. They meet twice a year to share ideas and learn about new masonry topics.
The 19th Annual Masonry Instructors Workshop will be held Monday, September 29, 2025 at Bon Tool Company, Gibsonia, PA. We have a busy day planned to include education sessions, a tour of Bon Tool, a head to head wall build competition and training on proper wall judging techniques. More information to come.
The 18th Annual Masonry Instructors Workshop was held Monday, October 7, 2024 at Carroll County Career & Technology Center, Westminster, MD. They have a new school and built a large masonry department for Mike Campanile, the instructor. We had some good education sessions and demos!
Daniel Hiltebeitel, Masonry Instructor, receives 2015 Distinguished Service Honorary Member Award.
Our latest inductee to the Distinguished Service Honorary Membership was honored at the PCMA Annual Holiday General Membership Meeting. This honor, for individuals who have rendered special service to PCMA and the masonry industry, is awarded periodically when the membership and Board of Directors elect someone who shows exemplary service. The 2015 winner is Dan Hiltebeitel, masonry instructor at Williamson College of the Trades.
Dan has been teaching masonry for 38 years but his contributions to PCMA and the masonry industry go far beyond that. He was instrumental in helping to form the Masonry Instructors Association, which runs as a committee of PCMA, to help give a voice to the masonry industry with the PA Department of Education and the Department of Labor and Industry as well as networking for the masonry instructors in PA and now MD. He has been a tireless advocate for getting good quality masons into the trade and is a nationally recognized expert on masonry construction and teaching. Dan is retiring at the end of the school year this year and hopes to remain active in some capacity for the industry.
