Fayetteville Technical Community College provides basic construction trades training programs for United States Army Special Operations Command Engineers
Appeared as part of Research North Carolina, a sponsored section, in the July 2019 issue
By Fayetteville Technical Community College
North Carolina’s soldiers now have an opportunity to learn basic construction trades through Fayetteville Technical Community College.
The 252-hour pilot course provided the 249th Engineers Battalion of Fort Bragg with lectures and lab exercises in the technical aspects of building construction, material selection, welding, basic electrical welding, masonry and wood roof frame construction this past spring.
The success of this level-one training course has prompted consideration of a second course to be offered in the fall, says Adam Nowiski, department chair of Corporate and Continuing Education. Classes were held at the Fayetteville campus of Fayetteville Technical Community College inside the Center for Business and Industry.
“The customized training course provides soldiers with a broad range of training in different skills areas within the construction trades area,” Nowiski says. “We provided training to nineteen soldiers during the spring course and look forward to continued opportunities to serve our military neighbors with specialized training to help them meet their training objectives. A second offering of the Construction Trades training program may be available as early as the fall.”
Concrete and Masonry Training Foundations
The masonry portion of the course covers all aspects of foundation building basics, including block pillars, brick and block wall construction and facades. Having had no prior experience, students are able to learn masonry construction basics. The training includes hands-on activities, class lectures and discussion on topics including mixing mortar, laying block, brick and building foundations and block pillars for structural support.
Carpentry and Renovation
The carpentry and renovation portion provides soldiers with a general knowledge of tool and safety practices. They learn the basics of carpentry skills such as material analysis, measuring, cutting, squaring and angle cut layout for gable roof stick-built trusses.
During this course, there’s a hands-on interaction involving a building project including framing, sheeting floors, wall construction, roof construction, window and door framing and mounting, drywall hanging and finishing and electrical with a focus on wiring buildings for plugs and lights. The wood framing phase focuses on wood construction techniques, building structure assessments techniques and selection of material.
Basic Electrical Wiring
The course also provides an overview of electrical wiring techniques for students with no prior knowledge of electrical theory or installation. Students practice the skills they learn in the classroom in a hands-on setting within a building that students assemble. Students will receive training through a comprehensive study of the National Electric Code Book.
The course includes a study of electrical terms and requirements for electrical installation, such as branch circuits, grounding and bonding, wiring methods and materials, overcurrent protection, voltage drop calculations, sizing of conductors and overcurrent protection devices for branch circuit and feeder circuits.
EPA Refrigerant Recovery / Recycling
The EPA portion of this course provides soldiers with essential information concerning the EPA/CFC certification exam for service technicians. This includes a core materials component for small appliance technicians. The characteristics of refrigerants used in short-term, long-term, high-, medium- and low-pressure applications are also covered.
Heat Pump Technology
This course is designed to provide a working knowledge and understanding of heat pump technology for those desiring technical positions in heating, ventilation and air conditioning. It addresses laws of refrigeration, air properties, refrigerants and recovery techniques, pressure-temperature relationships, heat transfer, types of systems, basic controls, components and troubleshooting techniques specifically focused toward heat pump technology.
Basic Welding
This is designed to teach the apprentice welding techniques and manipulative skills required for each welding process. Special focus is placed on oxy/acetylene cutting, SMAW, and GMAW processes in a workshop environment for application purposes. Welding techniques are stressed above welding theory to ensure the students meet welding performance demands.
OSHA 30 Construction
This segment of the training, taught by an authorized OSHA Construction Safety instructor, provides soldiers with a foundational knowledge policies, procedures, health standards and standards for safe practices in the construction trades industry. Soldiers who pass the written examination receive certification of completion from federal OSHA.
This course is appropriate for construction workers, site foremen, safety managers and any professional who has a need for a deeper understanding of current OSHA standards for their agency or company.
In addition to the Fayetteville campus, Fayetteville Tech has campus locations in Spring Lake and at Fort Bragg. The FTCC office located at the Bragg Training and Education Center provides one-on-one educational counseling and assistance to soldiers and their family members.
The All American Veterans Center located at the Fayetteville campus is staffed by veterans who provide personal assistance to other veterans seeking educational opportunities at the college. As the top ranked school in the Top 10 Gold Category College Award for 2019-20 by Military Friendly Schools and Viqtory Media, Fayetteville Tech is proud to serve our military service members and their family members.
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