About a year ago, Education Credit Management Corp. Group (ECMC Group), a nonprofit organization, finalized its acquisition of more than 50 Everest and WyoTech campuses from the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges chain. To execute that transaction, ECMC Group launched a subsidiary, Zenith Education Group, which provides career school training. This acquisition created the largest nonprofit career college system in America.
Upon closing this deal, Zenith began implementing key improvements in program quality, affordability, completion and job placement rates, and accountability and transparency.
Among Zenith’s initiatives was its Campaign for Innovation, sponsored jointly by ECMC Foundation and ECMC Innovation Lab, to encourage creative, actionable, and measurable ideas from campus employees about promoting student success. Greg Schuman, an electrician instructor at Zenith’s Tampa, Fla., campus, submitted an idea for Zenith to partner with the National Center of Construction Education and Research (NCCER) to be able to offer students NCCER certification upon their completion of electrician, HVAC, carpentry, or plumbing training.
Zenith’s 20-hour-per-week, nine-month program will give students much of what they need to know in order to be workforce day-one ready. And with the certification from the industry recognized NCCER, Schuman believes students who complete this program should be able to skip entirely the classroom part of any apprenticeship.
The Foundation liked Schuman's idea, and gave him a $36,095 grant to get his proposal off the ground. Next month, 15 of Zenith’s instructors will convene in Tampa to start learning to become NCCER-certified trainers.
Tampa is one of the nine Zenith campuses with building-trade programs that will offer this certification. The others are in Orange Park, Fla.; South Plainfield, N.J.; Chesapeake, Va.; Southfield, Mich.; and the Texas campuses at San Antonio, Arlington, Austin, and Houston.
In an interview with BD+C, Schuman explained that traditional apprentice trade programs typically involve both in-classroom and in-field training that can take several years to complete. “What we’re doing is frontloading the technical instruction part so the students will already have the classroom training” when they get hired.
Zenith’s 20-hour-per-week, nine-month program will give students much of what they need to know in order to be workforce day-one ready. And with the certification from the industry recognized NCCER, Schuman believes students who complete this program should be able to skip entirely the classroom part of any apprenticeship.
A knowledgeable, trained student is a valuable asset to construction firms at a time when their industry is flourishing and qualified workers are in shorter supply.
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) reported last week that the construction industry added 125,400 nonresidential jobs in 2015, a 3.2% increase over 2014.
“With the construction industry expanding at rates not seen since the downturn, public officials need to make sure we are encouraging and preparing students to consider high-paying careers in construction,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s CEO. “As our Outlook makes clear, the industry is likely to continue expanding this year, as long as there are enough workers available for firms to hire.”
A survey conducted by AGC and Sage Construction and Real Estate found that 71% of construction firms polled plan to expand their payrolls in 2016.
Schuman believes the certification program will give Zenith graduates a leg up at companies that hire them. Between 500 and 1,000 students will be involved in the program’s first year, and Schuman anticipates that several other Zenith campuses might begin offering building trade training if this program is successful.
Success will be measured primarily by placement rate, which now hovers around 60%. Zenith’s goal is 70%.
Related Stories
University Buildings | Apr 11, 2023
Supersizing higher education: Tracking the rise of mega buildings on university campuses
Mega buildings on higher education campuses aren’t unusual. But what has been different lately is the sheer number of supersized projects that have been in the works over the last 12–15 months.
Contractors | Apr 11, 2023
The average U.S. contractor has 8.7 months worth of construction work in the pipeline, as of March 2023
Associated Builders and Contractors reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator declined to 8.7 months in March, according to an ABC member survey conducted March 20 to April 3. The reading is 0.4 months higher than in March 2022.
Contractors | Apr 10, 2023
What makes prefabrication work? Factors every construction project should consider
There are many factors requiring careful consideration when determining whether a project is a good fit for prefabrication. JE Dunn’s Brian Burkett breaks down the most important considerations.
Mixed-Use | Apr 7, 2023
New Nashville mixed-use high-rise features curved, stepped massing and wellness focus
Construction recently started on 5 City Blvd, a new 15-story office and mixed-use building in Nashville, Tenn. Located on a uniquely shaped site, the 730,000-sf structure features curved, stepped massing and amenities with a focus on wellness.
Smart Buildings | Apr 7, 2023
Carnegie Mellon University's research on advanced building sensors provokes heated controversy
A research project to test next-generation building sensors at Carnegie Mellon University provoked intense debate over the privacy implications of widespread deployment of the devices in a new 90,000-sf building. The light-switch-size devices, capable of measuring 12 types of data including motion and sound, were mounted in more than 300 locations throughout the building.
Affordable Housing | Apr 7, 2023
Florida’s affordable housing law expected to fuel multifamily residential projects
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law affordable housing legislation that includes $711 million for housing programs and tax breaks for developers. The new law will supersede local governments’ zoning, density, and height requirements.
Energy Efficiency | Apr 7, 2023
Department of Energy makes $1 billion available for states, local governments to upgrade building codes
The U.S. Department of Energy is offering funding to help state and local governments upgrade their building codes to boost energy efficiency. The funding will support improved building codes that reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency, according to DOE.
Architects | Apr 6, 2023
New tool from Perkins&Will will make public health data more accessible to designers and architects
Called PRECEDE, the dashboard is an open-source tool developed by Perkins&Will that draws on federal data to identify and assess community health priorities within the U.S. by location. The firm was recently awarded a $30,000 ASID Foundation Grant to enhance the tool.
Market Data | Apr 6, 2023
JLL’s 2023 Construction Outlook foresees growth tempered by cost increases
The easing of supply chain snags for some product categories, and the dispensing with global COVID measures, have returned the North American construction sector to a sense of normal. However, that return is proving to be complicated, with the construction industry remaining exceptionally busy at a time when labor and materials cost inflation continues to put pricing pressure on projects, leading to caution in anticipation of a possible downturn. That’s the prognosis of JLL’s just-released 2023 U.S. and Canada Construction Outlook.
Cladding and Facade Systems | Apr 5, 2023
Façade innovation: University of Stuttgart tests a ‘saturated building skin’ for lessening heat islands
HydroSKIN is a façade made with textiles that stores rainwater and uses it later to cool hot building exteriors. The façade innovation consists of an external, multilayered 3D textile that acts as a water collector and evaporator.