Education and NAMC Accreditation History with NCCER

The primary purpose and mission of the National Association of Minority Contractors is to initiate, encourage, promote and assist in the education of: 1) Construction Contractors, 2) those desiring participation in the Construction Industry and 3) the industry stakeholders to assure equal opportunity of participation in all areas of the Construction Industry; and to integrate the various ethnic groups, races, creeds, and colors into this industry.  In summary, we believe in and adhere to the value of Education for assuring equal opportunity of participation in all areas of the Construction Industry.

Our Association is indebted to the vision and passion of William “Bill” Truitt for its strong commitment and capacity to provide Education, Craft and Advanced Training to NAMC Members, which enable us to fulfill our primary purpose for our membership.

Before becoming affiliated with NAMC, Bill was the Director of the Kings Bay Contactor Assistance Center from 1982 to 1990; and from 1990 to 1993 he was a Construction Services Coordinator, U.S. Department of Commerce.  These experiences shaped his understanding of the barriers faced by minority contractors in the Construction Industry and provided him with the insight for resolving the major problems and issues faced by our contractors.  Bill realized that the lack of sufficient education and craft training among the minority segment of the construction workforce; and a lack of emphasis on continuing professional education (CPE) and advanced training among minority contractors were preventing a significant number of them from reaching or achieving their full business potential.  As a result, he became an effective and passionate advocate for the benefits of an education and training regime for minority contractors.

In 1993 he was responsible for the formation of the Northeast Florida Chapter of NAMC, which received its charter from National early in 1994.  He became the Chapter’s first Executive Director and an instrumental member of NAMC’S Education and Training Committee, being appointed Co-Chairperson in the late 1990s.  Under Bill’s leadership, he advocated strongly for an emphasis on Education and Training as the basis for growing the capacity of minority contractors and the supply of a quality minority workforce segment. Moreover, the Northeast Florida Chapter went on to become an Accredited Training Sponsor (ATS) of the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), the leading organization for construction education and occupational craft training for the Construction Industry.  As an ATS of NCCER, the Northeast Florida Chapter (NFC) is the center of NAMC National’s intra-organizational education and training program, which is available to all chartered chapters of NAMC. NFC administers accredited, standardized courses developed for the industry by NCCER including industry craft and advanced training, that are offered through local chapters and on a regional and national level.  As an additional benefit, NCCER maintains a National Registry for participants, which complete courses offered through NAMC.  Through the Registry, participants’ education and training activity is documented with an individual record and history of their training.  This documentation follows participants throughout their construction career and provides them with added value relative to an opportunity for employment when being evaluated by prospective major employers or alternatively with growing minority contractors. If you would like to visit the NCCER website, just click on this link www.nccer.org.

Access to Equal Opportunity in the Construction Industry provides meaningful economic and business development for the members of NAMC, the communities of our members and minority contractors in general.  The realization of economic opportunity, which creates better earnings results for minority contracting businesses and which provides more income per capita for their employees, is most effectively accomplished through education and training.  This is true because education and training contribute to the growth of minority contractors due to them being able to hire a quality workforce, minority and otherwise, when local, state and the national economies are growing.  The leadership of NAMC has captured the principals and fundamentals of education and training and has embedded it in our way of life.  We remain committed to providing and contributing these resources on behalf of minority contactors in accordance with our primary purpose and mission.

Program and Classes

NCCER develops and publishes the Contren^® Learning Series in partnership with leading textbook publisher Pearson. Built upon industry standards, this competency-based curriculum is taught nationwide by contractors, associations, and secondary and post-secondary schools. It is also recognized by multiple state Departments of Education.

Contren^® includes construction, maintenance, and pipeline curricula and a complete line of safety and management programs. Select programs are also available online through Contren^® Connect. Unique training features of the Contren^® Learning Series include:

• Competency-based with measurable objectives
• Developed by industry experts and educators
• Modular in format for flexibility and custom task training
• Compliant with the Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship requirements for time-based training
• Portable with industry-recognized credentials

NAMC can offer NCCER Contren Training on the following Classes:

Introduction to Carpentry

- Orientation to the Trade: Reviews the history of the trade, describes the apprentice program, identifies career opportunities for carpentry and construction workers, and lists the responsibilities and characteristics a worker should possess

- Hand and Power Tools: Provides detailed descriptions of the hand tools and portable power tools used by carpenters. Emphasis is on safe and proper operation of tools, as well as care and maintenance.

- Reading Plans and Elevations: Builds upon the basic information presented in the Introduction to Blueprints module studied in the Core Curriculum. Trainees will learn the techniques for reading and using blueprints and specifications with an emphasis placed on those drawings and types of information that are relevant to the carpentry trade.

- Building Materials, Fasteners, and Adhesives: Provides an overview of the building materials used in construction work, including lumber, sheet materials, engineered wood products, structural concrete, and structural steel. Also describes the various fasteners and adhesives used in construction work

- Floor Systems: Covers framing basics as well as the procedures for laying out and constructing a wood floor using common lumber as well as engineered building materials.

- Wall and Ceiling Framing: Describes the procedures for laying out and framing walls and ceilings, including roughing-in door and window openings, constructing corners and partition Ts, bracing walls and ceilings, and applying sheathing.

- Roof Framing: Describes the various kinds of roofs and contains instructions for laying out rafters for gable roofs, hip roofs, and valley intersections. Coverage includes both stick-built and truss-built roofs

- Introduction to Concrete, Reinforcing Materials, and Forms: Describes the ingredients of concrete, discusses the various types of concrete, and describes how to mix concrete. The module also covers basic job-built footing, edge, and wall forms and form ties and describes the types and uses of concrete reinforcing materials.

- Windows and Exterior Doors: Describes the various types of windows, skylights, and exterior doors, and provides instructions for installing them.  Also includes instructions for installing weather-stripping and locksets.

- Basic Stair Layout: Introduces the trainee to the various types of stairs and the common building code requirements related to stairs.  The module focuses on the techniques for measuring and calculating rise, run, and stairwell openings, laying out stringers, and fabricating basic stairways.

Plumbing

-  Introduction to the Plumbing Profession: Introduces trainees to the many career options available in today’s plumbing profession. Provides a history of plumbing and also discusses the current technology, industries, and associations that make up the modern plumbing profession.  Also reviews human relations and safety skills.

Contents of Training Materials includes:

• Plumbing Safety
• Plumbing Tools
• Introduction to Plumbing Math
• Plastic Pipe and Fittings
• Copper Pipe and Fittings
• Cast-Iron Pipe and Fittings
• Carbon Steel Pipe and Fittings
• Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing
• Fixtures and Faucets
• Introduction to Drain, Waste, and Vent (DWV) Systems
• Plumbing Math Two
• Reading Commercial Drawings
• Hangers, Supports, Structural Penetrations, and Fire Stopping
• Installing and Testing DWV Piping
• Installing Roof, Floor, and Area Drains
• Types of Valves and Installing Fixtures, Valves, and Faucets
• And additional plumbing related technical items.

Electrical

The class includes 72.5 hours of Core Curriculum, which is prerequisite for Level 1, before moving to the level 2 modules.

- Orientation to the Electrical Trade: Provides an overview of the electrical trade and discusses the Career paths available to electricians,

- Electrical Safety: Covers safety rules and regulations for electricians. Teaches the necessary precautions to take for various electrical hazards found on the job. Also covers the OSHA-mandated lockout/tagout procedure.

- Introduction to Electrical Circuits: Offers a general introduction to the electrical concepts used in Ohm’s law applied to DC series circuits. Includes atomic theory, electromotive force, resistance, and electric power equations.

- Electrical Theory: Introduces series, parallel, and series-parallel circuits. Covers resistive circuits, Kirchoff’s voltage and current laws, and circuit analysis

- Introduction to the National Electrical Code: Provides a navigational road map for using the NEC®.  Introduces the layout of the NEC® and the types of information found within the codebook. Allow trainees to practice finding information using an easy-to-follow procedure.

- Device Boxes: Covers the hardware and systems used by an electrician to mount and support boxes, receptacles, and other electrical components. Covers NEC® fill and pull requirements for device, pull, and junction boxes under 100 cubic inches.

- Hand Bending: Provides an introduction to conduit bending and installation.  Covers the techniques for using hand-operated and step conduit benders, as well as cutting, reaming, and threading conduit.

- Raceways and Fittings: Introduces the types and applications of raceways, wireways, and ducts. Stresses the appropriate NEC® requirements.

- Conductors and Cables: Focuses on the types and applications of conductors and covers proper wiring techniques. Stresses the appropriate NEC® requirements.

- Basic Electrical Construction Drawings: Focuses on electrical prints, drawings, and symbols. Teaches the types of information that can be found on schematics, one-lines, and wiring diagrams.

- Residential Electrical Services: Covers the electrical devices and wiring techniques common to residential construction and maintenance. Allow trainees to practice making service calculations. Stresses the appropriate NEC® requirements.

- Electrical Test Equipment: Focuses on proper selection, inspection, and use of common electrical test equipment, including voltage testers, clamp-on ammeters, ohmmeters, multimeters, phase/motor rotation testers, and data recording equipment. Also covers safety precautions and meter category ratings.

- Level Two (2) Includes the following training: Alternating Current, Theory and Application, Electric Lighting, Conduit Bending, Pull and Junction Boxes, Conductor Installations, Cable Tray, Conductor Terminations and Splices, Grounding and Bonding, Circuit Breakers and Fuses, Control Systems and Fundamental Concepts.

- Level Three (3) Includes the following training: Load Calculations — Branch and

Feeder Circuits, Practical Applications of Lighting, Hazardous Locations, Over current Protection, Distribution Equipment, Transformers, Commercial Electrical Services, Motor Calculations Voice, Data, and Video.

HVAC

- Introduction to HVAC: Covers the basic principles of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning, career opportunities in HVAC, and apprenticeship programs.

- Trade Mathematics: Explains how to solve problems involving the measurement of lines, area, volume, weights, angles, pressure, vacuum, and temperature. Also introduces scientific notation, powers, roots, and basic algebra and geometry.

- Copper and Plastic Piping Practices: Covers the selection, preparation, joining, and support of copper and plastic piping and fittings.

- Soldering and Brazing: Covers tools, materials, and safety precautions and depicts step-by-step procedures for soldering and brazing piping.

- Ferrous Metal Piping Practices: Covers various types of iron and steel pipe and fittings, and provides step-by-step instructions for cutting, threading, and joining ferrous piping.

- Basic Electricity: Teaches power generation and distribution, electrical components, DC circuits, and electrical safety.

- Introduction to Cooling: Covers the basic principles of heat transfer, refrigeration, and pressure-temperature relationships and describes the components and accessories used in air conditioning systems.

- Introduction to Heating: Covers heating fundamentals, types and designs of furnaces and their components, and basic procedures for installing and servicing furnaces.

- Air Distribution Systems: Describes air distribution systems and their components, airflow measurement, ductwork installation principles, and the use of instruments for measuring temperature, humidity, pressure, and velocity.

Scheduling, Management, Estimating

This course teaches the basic leadership skills required to supervise personnel. It discusses principles of project planning, scheduling, estimating, management, and presents several case studies for student participation.

- Planning and Scheduling Introduces the stages of planning, how to implement a plan, and how to coordinate with other contractors. Includes planning resources, materials, equipment, tools, and labor. Discusses short- and long-term schedules.

- Estimating and Cost Control: Emphasizes the importance of accurate estimating and summarizes the estimating process and the steps in developing an estimate. Defines the purpose of a cost control methodology, explains how to perform simple cost analysis, and covers the project manager’s role in controlling cost and tracking rework cost.

- Scheduling: Provides instruction in the basics of scheduling from simple to-do lists through bar charts, network diagrams, and methods of managing resources. Discusses the importance of formal schedules, job planning, and establishing priorities. Describes alternative scheduling methods.

Carpentry

- Roofing Applications: Covers the common materials used in residential and light commercial roofing, along with the safety practices and application methods for these materials. Includes shingles, roll roofing, shakes, tiles, metal, and membrane roofs, as well as the selection and installation of roof vents.

- Exterior Finishing: Covers the various types of exterior siding used in residential construction and their installation procedures, including wood, metal, vinyl, and cement board siding.

- Cold-Formed Steel Framing: Describes the types and grades of steel framing materials and includes instructions for selecting and installing metal framing for interior walls, exterior nonbearing walls, and partitions.

- Thermal and Moisture Protection: Covers the selection and installation of various types of insulating materials in walls, floors, and attics. Also covers the uses and installation practices for vapor barriers and Waterproofing materials.

- Drywall Installation: Describes the various types of gypsum drywall, their uses, and the fastening devices and methods used to install them. Contains detailed instructions for installing drywall on walls and ceilings using nails, drywall screws, and adhesives. Also covers fire- and sound-rated walls.

- Drywall Finishing: Covers the materials, tools, and methods used to finish and patch gypsum drywall.  Includes coverage of both automatic and manual taping and finishing tools.

- Suspended Ceilings: Includes the materials, layout, and installation procedures for many types of suspended ceilings used in commercial construction, as well as ceiling tiles, drywall suspension systems, and pan-type ceilings.

- Window, Door, Floor, and Ceiling Trim: Covers the different types of trim used in finish work. Focuses on the proper methods for selecting, cutting, and fastening trim to provide a professional finished appearance.

- Doors and Door Hardware Covers the installation of metal doors and related hardware in steel-framed, wood-framed, and masonry walls, along with their related hardware, such as locksets and door closers. Also covers the installation of wooden doors, folding doors, and pocket doors.

- Cabinet Installation: Provides detailed instructions for the selection and installation of base and wall cabinets and countertops.

- Cabinet Fabrication: Provides an introduction to the materials, tools, and methods used in cabinetmaking. Practice projects help the trainee learn the various joining techniques, while providing practice on stationary power tools.

In addition, NCCER Contren Learning offers addition Craft Training Materials as name below.

Boilermaking, Concrete Finishing, Construction Craft Laborer, Construction

Technology, Electronic Systems Technician, Front Matter, Gas Pipeline Operations,

Heavy Equipment Operations, Highway-Heavy Construction, Industrial Coatings,

Industrial Maintenance E-I, Industrial Maintenance Mechanic, Instrumentation,

Insulating, Ironworking, Liquid Pipeline Control Center Operations, Liquid Pipeline

Field Operations, Management, Masonry, Millwright, Mobile Crane Operations,

Painting, Pipefitting, Pipelayer, Pipeline Corrosion Control, Pipeline Electrical and

Instrumentation, Pipeline Maintenance, Reinforcing Ironwork, Rigging, Safety,

Scaffolding, Sheet Metal, Site Layout, Sprinkler Fitting, Welding 2003, Welding 2009,& Your Role in the Green Environment.

Resources

National Association of Minority Contractor – North Florida Chapter is the Accredited Training Sponsors of NCCER.

National Association of Minority Contract of Northeast Florida Chapter (NAMCNFC) Training Program provides short-term entry level and advanced training for persons who want to enter the construction industry and assist those who want to improve their skills and move up career ladders.   In addition, our program focuses on attracting and recruiting young at-risk adult participants, including ex-offers from service areas with household incomes below the median average and with high unemployment rates.  As a result, we will achieve diversity inclusion concerning job opportunities currently being created in the construction industry.

National Center for Construction Education and  Education (NCCER)

NCCER is a not-for-profit 501(c) (3) education foundation created in 1996 to develop standardized construction, maintenance, and pipeline curricula with portable credentials and help address the critical skilled workforce shortage. NCCER’s training process of accreditation, instructor certification, standardized curriculum, national registry, assessment, and certification is a key component in the industry’s workforce development efforts. NCCER also drives multiple initiatives to enhance career development and recruitment efforts for the industry.  NCCER is headquartered in Gainesville, Fla., and is affiliated with the Univeristy of Florida’s M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Building Construction.

M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Building Construction

M. E. Rinker, Sr. School is dedicated to construction, construction science and management and is committed to excellence in education and research. The school was Established in 1935, it is the oldest school of construction in the U.S. and the first program to receive accreditation from the American Council for Construction Education (1975).   The school has Twenty faculty members teach and guide the School's 500 undergraduate and 120 graduate students.

The mission of the M. E. Rinker, Sr. School of Building Construction is to be the center of excellence for construction. The Rinker School will pursue this by:

1. Promoting professional and ethical behavior in education and practice,
2. Advancing the industry by creating new knowledge through research and scholarly activities,
3. Educating individuals in principles, knowledge and skills required to be successful in their professional careers, and
4. Providing service and transferring knowledge to the citizens of Florida, the construction industry, professional societies, the nation, and the world.

For more information concerning Education and Training, contact your local chapter.