Ceramic Tile Education Foundation

Qualified Labor - Certification - Tile Industry Recognized

The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) provides education and installer certification for professionals working in the ceramic tile and stone industry.

The CTEF Certified Tile Installer (CTI) program is the only third-party assessment of installer skill and knowledge that is recognized by the tile industry.

What is the CTEF?
The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) is an educational institution that offers local, regional, and national training programs for consumers, installers, construction professionals, architects, designers, building inspectors and sales associates interested in the sale and installation of ceramic tile.

The Vision for the CTEF Organization
CTEF is a leading authority on ceramic tile education and installation, trusted and relied upon by the industry and consumers, contributing to the training of industry professionals. CTEF is the foremost provider of installer certification programs.

The CTEF Mission Statement
The Mission of the CTEF is as follows:

CTEF will expand the knowledge of professional ceramic tile installation through training, education, and certification.

CTEF will promote the applicable industry standards to new and experienced tile installers, architects, designers, builders, and tile industry related people.

The overall goal of CTEF's activities is to raise the quality of ceramic tile installation.

History of the CTEF
The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation was created in the later part of 1996 at the suggestion of the Tile Council of North America (TCNA).

Other supportive industry organizations such as the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA), and foreign trade partners Ceramic Tiles of Italy (Italian Tile Producers) and Tile of Spain (Spanish Tile Producers) had long realized that the absence of an educational organization was and would continue to impact the ability to sell product in the American marketplace.

The attrition of the current tile industry workforce, at the rate of several thousand per year, also served to compound the problem.

A review of current available curriculums and educational programs found that the available programs were sorely in need of updating or of a proprietary nature.

Armed with funding from the Coverings Tile & Stone Exposition and other industry partners, the decision was made to create from scratch numerous educational and training courses to assist the industry in the sales and installation of ceramic tile products.

The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation, a 501 C3 non-profit organization was created for this purpose.