DEARFIELD BEACH, FLA.—As a supplier of premium tile installation products Mapei understands the importance of having properly trained people handling its products and doing professional work. “Education and professionalism are the cornerstones of building a good reputation in our industry,” said Mike Micalizzi, Mapei’s technical services manager.

With that in mind the company has opened up its facilities and lent its personnel, not to mention donating product, to support tile installers seeking certification in their field. The Certified Tile Installer (CTI) program is provided by the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF).

Micalizzi said Mapei feels installers who earn their certification “will benefit our industry by providing customers with reliable, sustainable tile and stone installations.”

He added beyond knowing what a professional installer can mean to a job, Mapei is “happy to host the program” at its Technical Institute here because it is run by CTEF, an independent organization. “This [program] is a step in the right direction that has been a long time coming.”

At a recent event this summer, Mapei not only lent it facility, it built demo modules for the installers to exhibit their hand skills during the workmanship portion of the testing, which also involves a multiple-choice exam.

Scott Carothers, CTEF’s executive director, said the organization started the CTI program “to provide a means for good, knowledgeable installers to verify their skills and promote themselves to potential clients and employers. It was developed in response to the lack of a mechanism for consumers to know the level of proficiency of prospective installers. Certification enables professional installers to provide industry-recognized proof of their abilities and secure more work.”