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HBAs Expand Adoption of Building Trades Curriculum
With hundreds of educational institutions in 35 states using materials from the Residential Construction Academy (RCA) Series to instruct students in the construction trades, the Home Builders Institute (HBI) is urging state and local home builders associations to inform school boards about the benefits of this comprehensive residential construction curriculum.
This past September, thanks to the influence of the Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh (BAMP), 11 technical high schools in the metropolitan area adopted the series. Other local builders associations have also begun informing educators in their area about the benefits of the RCA Series.
“The Residential Construction Academy’s carpentry text is the best book hands down for carpentry programs today,” said Travis Maqueen, an assistant professor at Somerset Community College in Kentucky.
Current titles in the series are:
- "Basic Principles for Construction”
- “Carpentry”
- “House Wiring”
- “Electrical Principals”
- “HVAC”
- “Plumbing”
Following up on the success of the first three titles, HBI and publishing partner Thomson/Delmar Learning have recently released updated versions of the texts, with others soon to follow.
HBI will be unveiling two new volumes later this year: “Facilities Maintenance” and “Masonry: Brick and Block Construction.”
In addition to providing students with industry-approved training, the RCA Series promotes the connection between the educational sector and the home building industry by offering credentialing for institutions and students who use the series and meet NAHB’s Residential Construction Skills Standards. Developed by members of NAHB and educators, these standards chart the proficiencies needed to excel in each particular craft trade area covered by the series.
Experts in the residential construction curriculum have played an integral role in the development of the series and continue to serve as a valuable resource in the expansion of the RCA library.
“The author’s approach is simple, to-the-point and his illustrations help make difficult concepts easy to digest,” said Gary Edwards, State University of New York at Delhi College of Technology.
Upon completing the program, students are listed in NAHB’s National Registry, which links employers to an online database of qualified potential employees. Students can also post their resume at NAHB’s Career Center at http://nahb.constructionjobs.com.
For more information on how to inform schools in your area about the industry’s premier curriculum, visit www.residentialacademy.com; or e-mail Kevin Thorn at HBI 800-795-7955 x8928, or contact Kevin Rivenburg at Thomas/Delmar, 800-998-7498 x2686.
Home Builders Institute Offers New Program to Teach Hispanic Adults English
 Sed de Saber™-Construction Edition is an easy-to-use, take-home learning tool created exclusively for the construction industry by the Home Builders Institute to improve communication, quality and safety on the job site.
The product, now available at www.seddesaberconstruction.com, uses proven LeapFrog technology to allow workers to listen, record and play back their pronunciation of more than 500 vocabulary words and 340 phrases. Participants who practice 30 minutes each day will complete the program in just four months. Learning at home, on their own time, also eliminates scheduling conflicts.
 Sed de Saber™-Construction Edition was developed by a team of subject matter experts assembled through HBI — including superintendents, craft skills experts, remodelers and builders — to ensure that the information is relevant to today’s home building workforce. To address worker safety issues related to the language barrier, HBI created a seventh book based entirely on the NAHB-OSHA Job Site Safety Handbook.
NAHB members can purchase the learning system, all seven books and a skills assessment to chart employee progress for $395 per kit. The non-member price is $495. Order today and empower your workers to learn English at www.seddesaberconstruction.com.
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