The National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) is an education foundation created as a not-for-profit collaboration of construction CEOs, leaders, professionals, and academics who wanted to increase productivity and education within the construction and maintenance industry. The mission of NCCER is to build a curriculum or standardized training and credentials to show that is a worker is qualified for a particular task.
Since 1996, NCCER has focused on 8 core values in setting the standards for training, assessment, and certification in both public and private industries:
- Integrity
- Innovation
- Quality
- Credibility
- Commitment
- Customer Focus
- Sustainable Career Opportunities
- Industry Support
To accomplish its mission, NCCER is working with 40 national associations and organizations, each of which share the same goals and objectives in the industry. The National Training Service Agreement (NTSA) helps fund the NCCER, with contractors and associations contributing to a fund which helps goes towards the goals of NCCER. NCCER wants to reduce the number of accidents in the industry while boosting productivity for each of its members.
Benefits of Hiring NCCER Certified Craftsmen
NCCER maintains a national registry of an individual’s credentials, which provides a way of tracking a craftsman’s credentials and training. This is a key benefit of using NCCER craftsmen, because the individuals have a way to demonstrate qualifications and increase their own skills. For manufacturers, this database is a way to ensure quality control of its craftsmen, instead of relying on unknown assessment and certification standards, NCCER has developed curriculum to fully train their students through accredited contractors and trainers who are experts in the field.
Some of the craft areas in which NCCER offers credentialing are:
- Fundamentals of crew leadership
- Ironworking
- Maintenance mechanic
- Maintenance electrical technician
- Welding
- Safety technology
- Project management
- Pipeline maintenance and mechanical
- Pipeline corrosion control
NCCER has many elements within its structure for entry-level and journey-level craftsmen to assess their skills and talents. When appropriate, NCCER will recommend additional courses for further development. NCCER operates on a national level, but is also working within states to provide statewide accountability and certification for those with secondary careers in the industry.
In addition to certification and assessment training, within the NCCER system, there is a way to measure an individual’s particular skill level on certain tasks. This performance evaluation ensures that the craftsperson is doing the skill as it should be done. Each assessment is performed by highly acclaimed supervisors with years of experience of their own in the industry. The three levels of verification are:
- Knowledge-verified – the individual passed a written test
- Performance-verified – the individual passed a performance skill test
- Certified-plus – the individual passed both the written and performance assessments
NCCER credentials are one of the industry’s best tools for determining a worker’s qualifications and training to ensure productivity and safety on the job site. Poorly trained workers either stop progress while they’re being brought to speed on the job or they put everyone on the job in danger because they don’t have the right knowledge. To ensure the quality of the work, having the right workers is important. Even with all the equipment in the world on hand to complete the project, without a trained staff ready to maintain quality and safety, the project will be bogged down with problems.
STI Group Employs NCCER Certified Welders and Craftsmen
At STI Group, we pride ourselves on providing industry-leading fabrication, maintenance, and industrial services. Employing NCCER-certified craftsmen is an important part of ensuring that the worker has the skills and expertise needed to get the job done right.
After discussing the importance of NCCER certification for welders, it’s worth noting that these certified professionals are skilled in their craft and adhere to the industry’s best practices. These best practices, which include understanding project objectives, selecting the right welding process and materials, and controlling the welding environment, are crucial for ensuring top-quality output. To better understand these best practices, consider exploring our article on Industrial Welding Best Practices.
