During the 2007-08 year, NRCA's Education Department introduced NRCA University.
Building off the strategic plan developed by the Education Department in 2007, NRCA
University will feature all the safety, technical and managerial educational offerings
NRCA currently provides, as well as its new online courses. In addition, it will
provide various education tracts that students can use to attain a variety of certificates
from programs aimed at professional development. The first of such certificates—the
roofing technologist—was offered this year.
NRCA University began to develop two online programs—Roofing 101 and SpecRight.
It also purchased a learning management system database called Thinking Cap to house
its online and university administrative needs. Roofing 101 was launched in June.
It comprises five modules; each take about one hour to complete. Certificates are
awarded for completion.
There were 132.5 individual class days held, as well as five Ask the Expert webinar
programs, totaling $1.22 million in revenue. The education department held an average
of 2 1/2 days of face-to-face programs per week.
Education Department staff worked to foster NRCA's relationship with the Get Rewarded
for Education Advancement and Training (GREAT) program, an entry-level construction
training initiative being offered free through community colleges in the Gulf Coast
region. Staff toured school training facilities and met with college administrators
in fall 2007. Although no schools have adopted roofing into their curriculums, students
from this training program currently are available for recruitment into the roofing
industry in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.
NRCA's contract sales increased 32 percent from previous years, with net sales of
more than $160,000. This service continues to bring valuable training opportunities
to roofing contractors, regional and local roofing contractor associations, building
owners and other groups involved with the industry. During this fiscal year, NRCA
conducted 28 safety and leadership programs for its roofing contractor members and
affiliates. In addition, five three-day or more programs pertaining to education
about roof repair and maintenance were brought to several government groups, including
two large military bases.
NRCA received an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Susan Harwood
Training Grant for $181,816 in September 2007. The grant funded revisions to our
popular OSHA 10-hour program, which was developed under a previous OSHA grant. The
revisions involved a variety of updates, including adding a section about lead,
noise and silica exposure. The grant also paid NRCA to conduct 10-hour classes in
eight cities in January, February and March 2008. The free classes were conducted
separately in English and Spanish, resulting in a total of 413 trainees.
In November 2007, the education department posted a variety of free downloadable
training materials online that were funded by a 2005 OSHA Susan Harwood Training
Materials Development Grant. Through that $163,589 grant, NRCA created several complete
training programs that employers can use to conduct safety training at their companies.
Each training program includes an instructors guide and DVD. There are three training
sessions about fall hazards and controls and a training session about roofing industry
"caught in" and "caught between" hazards. There also is a complete self-study training
program teaching training skills for instructors of classroom training. All these
materials are available in English and Spanish. More than 1,000 online visitors
have viewed information about NRCA's free safety training materials since November
2007.
In March 2008, NRCA received an OSHA Susan Harwood Institutional Competency Building
Grant for $144,105. This grant will fund development of the industry's only roofing-specific
OSHA 30-hour training program. Our plan is to conduct seven half-day training classes
on falls, electrocution, caught-in or between hazards, and struck-by hazards and
three OSHA 30-hour classes. All classes will be offered in English only and free
of charge.
One hundred sixty-four CERTA trainers were reauthorized this year, and 1,126 applicators
were recertified. In addition, 146 new trainers and 1,878 new applicators were approved.
Since inception of the CERTA program four years ago, NRCA has trained 943 people
to be CERTA trainers, and those trainers have trained 9,501. In addition, another
310 individuals enjoy dual status as trainer/applicators.
NRCA continued to hold its popular Future Executives Institute (FEI). The third
class, FEI-3, has 24 students who met twice this year. NRCA accepted applications
for FEI-4, which will begin in October.
During the past fiscal year, NRCA's Education and Risk Management Section produced
10 training videos/DVDs in English and Spanish, helping fulfill OSHA grants awarded
to NRCA. As part of the grant fulfillment, NRCA updated its OSHA 10-hour Countdown
to Safety video. NRCA also was awarded a Certificate of Merit at INTERCOM 2007,
the Chicago International Film Festival, for its Kickoff to Rebuild video.
In addition, the Education and Risk Management Section produced a video for the
GREAT initiative; a promotional CD for FEI; and 12 safety posters.
NRCA's Risk Management Department and Safety Manual Committee completed text revisions
for The NRCA Safety Manual. New sections addressing exposure to lead, silica
and isocyanates were developed for inclusion in the next edition of the manual.
The NRCA Safety Design Task Force developed a white paper about optimal design elements
related to fall protection during roof applications.
Tom Shanahan, NRCA's associate executive director of education and risk management,
was appointed by the U.S. secretary of labor to the Advisory Committee for Construction
Safety and Health. This is a two-year appointment. The committee advises OSHA on
all construction-related activities the agency oversees.
In addition, Shanahan was invited to present safety and health research ideas to
doctoral candidates participating in the National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health's (NIOSH's) Research to Practice initiative. One of NIOSH's purposes
is to sponsor and conduct occupational health-, safety- and training-related research.
In November, NRCA helped sponsor and Shanahan was a presenter for the Third Asphalt
Shingle Recycling Forum hosted in Chicago by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Federal Highway Administration and Construction Materials Recycling Association.
The forum addressed new equipment technology, marketing opportunities, environmental
challenges and economic issues related to recycling of asphalt shingle materials.
The two-day conference and exhibit brought together a variety of industry stakeholders.