New construction curriculum slated for vo-tech
The Fayette County Area Vocational-Technical School Operating Committee Monday approved a new curriculum that will allow students the opportunity to gain national accreditation, making them more marketable for future employment. The curriculum, designed by the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), was approved 7-0 at the monthly meeting at a cost not to exceed $67,500, equaling about $10,000 being spent per each of the six participating shops, said FCAVTS Director Dr. Edward Jeffreys.
The cost includes materials to be purchased incrementally under Jeffreys’ direction. Among the items listed for purchase are the core curriculum, textbooks, workbooks, teacher guides, software and instructor certification. Funds for the program have been budgeted, Jeffreys said.
NCCER is a non-profit education foundation created to help address the critical workforce shortage facing the construction industry and to develop industry-driven standardized craft training programs with portable credentials, according to its Web site.
Its learning series is the backbone of a successful in-house electrical apprenticeship-training program at Wayne J. Griffin Electric Inc., a major employer in the area of electrical construction, according to Lawrence Rossi, instructor of the FCAVTS electricity shop.
To clarify the program, Rossi, who, according to Jeffreys, has been instrumental in working with a team of instructors to plan for the addition of the new curriculum, points to a letter written by Wayne Griffin, president of Wayne J. Griffin Electric, that is addressed to him.
The president of Griffin Electric, an accredited training sponsor of the NCCER curriculum, stated in the letter the benefits of the NCCER program “extend not only the students’ growth and development and our company’s success, but also the advancement of the construction industry as a whole.
“We applaud your eagerness to prepare your students to be the most highly trained and skilled craftspeople in the industry…” stated Griffin in the letter.
Jeffreys pointed to three benefits of the curriculum. He also applauded FCAVTS board members for approving the curriculum.
He said the program will lead to eight faculty members gaining certification to teach the curriculum and each student who passes a test administered at the end of the program to become certified in his or her area of study.
It also will provide, through a National Registry maintained by NCCER, transcripts, certificates of completion and wallet cards to students to benefit them as they seek employment, according to Jeffreys and the Web site.
FCAVTS shops that will teach the curriculum are electricity, carpentry, building construction, welding, masonry and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
The curriculum will be divided into three areas, including a soft skills component, which has been a pilot program at the school under the instruction of Melaney Hegyes, resource instructor, since last semester.
Under the program, Hegyes will continue to teach students resume writing, interview training and critical thinking skills as well as skills on how to speak and listen effectively and to develop a good work attitude.
Steve Patchan, drafting instructor, will teach the program’s core curriculum, which will focus on the safety of each construction trade, including using hand and power tools, reading blueprints and basic rigging skills or how to move material and equipment on the job.
Jeffreys said the core curriculum will provide students with a basic knowledge of each construction trade. The third part of the program will allow students to hone their skills in the shop/construction area of their choice.
The program could be expanded to night classes for adults, said Jeffreys, noting there is no state avenue for people to gain accreditation in the construction trades and no other school in Fayette County that offers a program to achieve national accreditation in those same fields.