WHAT YOU WILL STUDY
Once you are admitted to the program, you will receive 13 weeks (192 hours) of comprehensive training designed to prepare you for apprenticeship testing and/or direct entry into non-building trades construction positions. New Skill Builders programming includes a dynamic combination of classroom instruction and hands-on construction activities.
There are three 13-week cycles per year, and each cycle consists of two weekday instructional periods and one Saturday instructional period. The weekday instructional periods meet Tuesday and Thursday from 6:00 – 9:30 p.m., and the Saturday instructional periods meet from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Total weekly instruction time is 13 hours.
We will teach in two ways: classroom training; and hand-on activities. Classroom training activities are a mix of practical learning experiences as well as activities designed to improve our applicants’ overall metacognitive functions. These outcomes are delivered through a series of incrementally-difficult courses which build upon the knowledge taught in previous courses. These courses (conducted over 80 instructional hours) are:
- Ways to Improve Learning: 2 contact hours.
- Preparing for Career Opportunities: 4 contact hours.
- Job Readiness Training: 10 contact hours.
- Basic English and Language Arts: 16 contact hours.
- Basic Math Skills: 40 contact hours.
- Test Taking Strategies: 8 contact hours.
- Physical Fitness: 20 contact hours.
Total Classroom Hours: 100
The hands-on learning component takes place in our Introduction to Construction Workshops (ICW) activities. Consisting of over 92 hours of instruction, the ICW activities will introduce you to various construction careers and will allow you to get a full of sense of what each career entails. In addition, you are also introduced to safety, first-aid, project management, drafting, and estimating fundamentals.
