NCCER’s revised Core Curriculum now available

Includes metric conversions and additional international features

By Jennifer Wilkerson

NCCER has released the fifth edition of its Core Curriculum: Introductory to Craft Skills along with revised versions of Scaffolding, Your Role in the Green Environment and Managing Electrical Hazards. NCCER’s Core Curriculum is a prerequisite to all of its Level 1 curricula and covers topics such as safety, introductions to hand and power tools, employability skills and more. Trainees who complete the curriculum have the basic skills needed to continue training in any craft area he or she chooses.

The revised Core Curriculum includes metric conversions and additional international features. Also, the Basic Rigging module is now called Introduction to Basic Rigging and focuses more heavily on safety with rigging and cranes. The Basic Safety module still meets OSHA 10 standards and will soon replace the Construction Site Safety Orientation pocket guide. The instructor package for Core Curriculum includes a copy of the Trainee Guide in full color, printed lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, a math workbook and a drawing package. Both the math workbook and drawing package can be downloaded on the Instructor Resource Center. The math workbook is a new supplement to the instructor resources that includes practice problems and simple projects to engage trainees.

Scaffolding has been completely revised to reflect the latest technology, methodology, codes, regulations and industry developments. The second edition of Scaffolding has five more instructional hours and features increased content on safety, including warning boxes throughout the text. In addition, the Trade Safety module now identifies OSHA’s fatal four hazards as they relate to scaffolding. NCCER’s new instructional design is also available for Scaffolding, with full-color content, lesson plans and detailed PowerPoint presentations.

The third edition of Your Role in the Green Environment has expanded its focus to include issues relevant for international construction and more concentration on building longevity, continued sustainability and new safety warnings. All LEED content has been updated to reflect LEED Version 4.0 and standards for Building Design + Construction. While the update to Your Role in the Green Environment satisfies all new LEED guidelines, the current LEED Version 3.0 certifications will not expire until 2021. Your Role in the Green Environment is also approved by the U.S. Green Building Council, an NCCER education partner, for 15 continuing education credits. NCCER’s new instructional design with full color content, lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations and additional instructor resources is included in this revision. In addition, all worksheets and data within the curriculum are provided in both U.S. and metric units.

Managing Electrical Hazards, a single training module for the industrial construction sector, has been updated to the 2015 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace and 2014 National Electrical Code. Significant changes have been made to enhance the terminology and tables used in the module. Subject matter experts from National Field Services, Cianbro and Tri-City Electric Services partnered with NCCER to revise the module, which is updated every three years to align with NFPA’s certification requirements. Individuals who successfully complete the module can also receive continuing education units. Instructors will receive an Annotated Instructor Guide and PowerPoint presentations along with the Training Guide.

Due to requests by instructors, printed instructor copies are now available for Core Curriculum, Scaffolding and Your Role in the Green Environment. These full-color books include the Trainee Guide, comprehensive lesson plans and an access code for the Instructor Resource Center. With that code, instructors can download digital versions of lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations, module exams, Performance Profiles and more. The lesson plans include step-by-step instructional outlines, learning objectives, teaching times and tips, safety considerations and equipment lists. In turn, the enhanced PowerPoint presentations are fully integrated with the lesson plans and also feature new images, key talking points, instructor notes and additional slides with graphics for instructor customizations.

NCCER develops and publishes its curricula in partnership with leading textbook publisher Pearson. A team of subject matter experts representing industry and academia contribute to the development of training curricula to ensure they meet or exceed industry standards. Individuals who successfully complete these training programs through an NCCER Accredited Training Sponsor will earn industry-recognized credentials through the NCCER Registry System. NCCER curricula comply with the Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship requirements for time-based training.