Making tiling professional
Feruni hopes to equip tilers and instil professionalism in the trade.
TILING may not appeal to many people. For some, it is an undesirable profession.
This is a view that Feruni Ceramiche Sdn Bhd wants to change.
The local tile producer established Feruni Tiling Academy in February 2016 to rebrand the craftsman’s industry and build greater professionalism in this trade.
The academy is part of Feruni’s CSR efforts under its community pillar. It offers a specialised training programme to help the community by equipping the less privileged group with professional tiling skills.
“We want to be able to transform their lives. By providing them with skills, they can secure jobs and earn a better income.
“At the same time, Feruni wants to bring a positive change to the industry by producing professional tilers with international-standard workmanship,” Feruni director Gidget Lim says.
Located next to Feruni’s retail store in Section 51, Petaling Jaya, the academy is built from reused shipping containers and furnished with classroom equipment and air-conditioning.
Both the interior and exterior of the academy apply simple designs with bare metal stairs and exposed brick walls to achieve an industrial look.
The academy has three classrooms that can each accommodate 15 students at a time. There is also a trainer’s room and a discussion room, which houses a library and a coffee corner.
Lim says the team at Feruni has developed its own content and pulled together various resources, information, knowledge and experiences to compile its own textbook.
“We studied both the Australian and UK standards and produced our own chapters on safety, tools, adhesive, site preparation, tile cutting, sustainability, planning and organising and more.
“It is a comprehensive and extensive textbook that will equip students with the ins and outs of the profession,” she remarks.
During the six-month course, students are required to take the foundation, intermediate and advanced levels. Intakes are in March and September.
Practical assessments and industrial trainings such as apprenticeships and trainings at renovation project sites and residential houses carry a heavy emphasis in the course to ensure that well-trained tile professionals are produced, adds Lim.
“The course comprises of 20% theory, 70% practical and 10% project and assignment. The overall passing mark is 70%, so if students don’t pass, they’ll have to re-sit. We will also set a maximum number of attempts for them to retake the paper so that the standard is not compromised,” she stresses.
The programme is a collaboration between Feruni and CIDB Holdings Sdn Bhd through Akademi Binaan Malaysia and students who successfully complete the course will receive the CIDB Construction Personnel Card (green card) and certifications endorsed by both Feruni and CIDB.
Specialty chemicals manufacturer Mapei Malaysia Sdn Bhd will be sponsoring materials like tools for the academy, Lim shares.
Upon graduating from Feruni Tiling Academy, the students will be called “tilista” instead of tiler.
The term is derived from the words ‘tile’ and ‘ista’, a Latin suffix that describes a specialist of a topic or area.
“We were looking for something different and exclusive, and decided on tilista, which refers to a professional tiler. We are in the midst of trademarking the name too.
“The tilistas’ names and details will be broadcast in all our retail stores and website so that customers can pick who they want to work with.
“Once they have built their foundation and footing in the industry, they can open their own business since they would have also learnt the basics of entrepreneurship at the advanced level.
“They can also contribute back to the programme as trainers,” she adds.
The course fee is RM18,800 and is opened to those 18 years old and above with a minimum qualification of SPM, O-Level, Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) or its equivalent.
Students may also apply for full scholarships given by Feruni.
Feruni Tiling Academy will welcome its first batch of students this March as they pursue a career in the tiling industry.