Maintenance and engineering managers face a difficult and ongoing challenge in staffing their departments. The challenge is especially acute when it comes to younger workers, who can be difficult to find, recruit and retain and require extensive training once they’re on the job. A new effort by the International Code Council’s Technical Training Program (TTP) aims to expand the pool of entry-level technicians and aid managers’ staffing efforts.
The program introduces students to building codes associated with the trades and helps them understand the importance of building codes in the construction process. The TTP is another tool to welcome a new generation of members and leaders to the building safety profession.
Organized into six separate modules — building, masonry, plumbing, mechanical, electrical, energy — the TTP enables schools to easily integrate one or more disciplines into the current curriculum. Students learn up-to-date code information and technical training along with practical training for the workplace.
This year, the council launched a Technical Training Program Portal that provides instructors and students complete digital access to the TTP. Instructors can use the portal to host the program. Once they establish their course in the portal, they invite their students to create an account and join their course. The Code Council provides instructions to both instructors and their students on course material.
The program’s technical content, quizzes and exams are all available digitally through the portal. Instructors can supplement the program with their own additional content and customize administration and delivery. In addition, the portal provides automated monitoring of student performance and progress and features student communication and study tools.
