CORAL GABLES, FL -- Tile of Spain recently registered a full-day program for ASID, consisting of five distinct modules as part of an educational program customized for the needs of the U.S. market. ASCER, the Spanish Ceramic Tile Manufacturer's Association, has for more than 10 years devoted a significant amount of energy and resources to continuing education within the U.S. ceramic tile industry.

In May of this year, Patti Fasan, Tile of Spain's certified ceramic tile consultant, presented the first in a series of seminars to be held at ASID regional chapters across the country. This first seminar was presented to the Washington Metro Chapter of ASID, at the request of the Continuing Education Committee. The Washington Metro Chapter provides at least six courses per year, which also serve as a fundraiser for the chapter. "The course was very inclusive with the history, development and sustainability of the product," said Donna Ralston-Latham, CID, LID; ASID & FIFDA, CEU Committee Member for ASID Washington Metro Chapter. "We also arranged for actual sampling of all types of products and the newer trends in the material to be shared as hands-on education."

The course, entitled "Design Expertise with Ceramic Tile," was approved this year by the Interior Design Continuing Education Council (IDCEC). Approval enables all IDCEC's core member organizations -- ASID, IDC, IDEC and IIDA -- to earn continuing education credits upon completion of the course. The course is registered with the NCIDQ Registry Service as ASID course #1301 and carries 0.5 CEU with a general designation.

The course description for "Design Expertise with Ceramic Tile" read as follows: Material choice for floor and wall coverings has undergone a dramatic shift in preference in the last decade. Hard surface applications have seen double-digit growth with ceramic tile being one of the fastest growing sectors. Creating healthy, livable, productive and more sustainable interiors and exteriors is spurring a wealth of innovative design solutions featuring this age-old building material.

Reviews from ASID

The large design community of the Metropolitan Washington, DC area includes Northern Virginia and Maryland. The seminar drew all levels of design professionals to make up the 70 participants. Besides a large number of ASID professionals, there were IIDA, IFDA, AIA and NKBA members in attendance as well as Certified Maryland Interior Designers and Licensed Interior Designers from the District of Columbia and people in the ceramic tile trade.

"Even the most objective professionals could not believe how much they learned," said Ralston-Latham. "It is a well-balanced program, and Patti's enthusiasm for the product and her presentation puts this course in the top five of our courses given over the last 20 years."

All IDCEC core member organizations are encouraged to schedule a date to bring this course to their local chapter by contacting the Trade Commission of Spain in Miami at (305) 446-4387 or visit www.spaintiles.info. The presentation is exclusively sponsored by Tile of Spain.