AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 7, 2023 — South Florida State College’s (SFSC) Construction Trades program at the Crews Center in Avon Park, Fla. recently received National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) accreditation through 2027.
According to its website, NCCER is a not-for-profit organization that, with the support of construction CEOs and association and academic leaders, created a standardized training and credentialing program to nurture a safe and productive workforce for the construction industry. NCCER is headquartered in Alachua, Fla. and affiliated with the University of Florida’s M.E. Rinker Sr. School of Construction Management.
“We passed the NCCER audit with flying colors,” said Fred Hayes, coordinator, SFSC Construction Trades Programs. “There were no issues, no gray areas, nothing that needed to be corrected. We passed in July 2022 and we received the notification recently that we had achieved the accreditation to become an NCCER-certified training center and testing center. That means any outside entity that needs to get NCCER training or use an NCCER-certified testing center can come to us. We are now the only institution in this area that’s certified and accredited to do that.”
SFSC uses NCCER’s curriculum for its Construction Trades programs. “I spoke with them about SFSC becoming an accredited training facility as well as testing facility some time ago,” Hayes said. “For the first year, we were in a probationary period. I set up SFSC’s account with them and I became a Certified Master Trainer for them. That way, I could train all the instructors that teach any of the NCCER programs, which includes our welding instructors and the different trades — electrical, plumbing, masonry, and carpentry instructors. So, everyone’s well versed in the NCCER program and what they teach. After that first-year probationary period, the audit was conducted through an independent auditing source. NCCER is strict on following their standards. They want a facility to have credibility.”
NCCER credentials are accepted and recognized across the United States. “When our students take a module test, it’s done online, it’s recorded instantly within the NCCER system, and we get the instant feedback for it,” Hayes said. “All the students’ grades are registered in the NCCER system, so it’s available anywhere they go in the country. For instance, if we had students who heard that Alaska pays phenomenal money in construction trades and wanted to work for a contractor up there, the contractor may ask, “What do you have to show me that lets me know that you are telling me the truth about what you know?” The student can go into the NCCER.org and punch in their credentials. Everything that the student has achieved in their programs at SFSC will come up.”
Not only are students who successfully complete SFSC’s Construction Trades programs ready to go to work, but they’re equipped with a good quality set of hand tools. The tools are included in the course tuition to use in SFSC’s training facilities. When the students complete the program, they can take the tools with them.
SFSC’s Construction Trades program includes eight-week certificate courses in Basic Construction Electrical, Basic Carpentry and Roofing, Intermediate Carpentry and Roofing, Basic Construction Plumbing, and Basic Masonry. Other courses offered are Handyperson Academy for Home Repairs, Introduction to Construction Trades, EPA Refrigerant Exam, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 10-Hour General Industry. SFSC can also customize training to fit a business or organization’s specific needs.
To learn more about these programs and funding opportunities for job training, see the Construction and Utility Trades Class Catalog on the SFSC website at: http://bit.ly/3DzYoqv, call 863-201-7195, or email fred.hayes@southflorida.edu.