Month: March 2019

Taking on apprentices is a great way to expand your crew. Obviously, it’s handy to have an additional hand around for menial tasks, but more importantly, it gives you an opportunity to influence the next generation of contractors in your field.

All the knowledge that you impart an apprentice will affect how they approach jobs in the future and many of your lessons may eventually be passed down to their apprentice, too. So it’s important to find the best apprentice and train him up right. Here are our tips to do just that.

Recruiting

Let’s start with where to find your new apprentice. Some unskilled or semi-skilled laborers will seek out apprenticeships in order to get into the trades.

You should start with your state’s Department of Labor and/or Workforce Development. Many states offer resources for employers seeking apprentices. You can find a list of qualified apprentices online and interview and select someone at your leisure.

You can also look for apprentices through a union you may be a part of. Providing on the job training through an apprenticeship is a great way to pass on your knowledge and keep your union strong for years to come.

Alternatively, you can consider actively recruiting for yourself from a trade school or other organizations in your area. There are tons of men and women hoping to find skilled work and build a career around it, so they come pre-motivated to work hard for you. You can consult with administrators and teachers to find the right person for you.

Training

When it comes to training the apprentice you have found, keep in mind the differences between an apprentice and an experienced laborer you may bring in. Apprenticeship is still part of the learning period for a new tradesperson. It’s designed to teach them the ins and outs of their new field.

Of course, this means it’s up to you to prepare them. You need to teach them everything from day-to-day responsibilities to bid development to client management. You’re not just training a tradesperson; you’re teaching a future leader, a future you.

Your goal should be to teach the apprentice not just skills they need to be able to work successfully in your field, but also your values and standards relating to work ethic and treatment of others on site.

Requirements

Requirements for apprenticeship programs vary from one state to another and in some cases from one organization to another.

Usually, apprentices are required to do a few years study before they start on the job training. Make sure that your apprentice understands the requirements and how long an apprenticeship can take. Someone looking to rush through is not going to do you or themselves any favors. Be sure that both you and your apprentice understand the commitment and what is expected of them by the end of their apprenticeship.

Today’s world puts a high priority on sustainable and healthy building. As such, there are is an abundance of certifications that you can apply for to get the upper edge among clients that show an interest in green building.

LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification from the US Green Building Council. Projects are granted one of four ratings from Certified to Platinum in one of nine rating systems based on five main credit categories (sustainable site, water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, materials & resources, and indoor environmental quality) and varying bonus categories.

This certification relies of documentation, instead of on-site checks, and is meant as a concise framework for implementing practical green designs. But often enough it ends up being cumbersome, bureaucratic and pricey.

What is great is that an individual can be LEED certified. Being accredited by the organization lends an air of credibility to any green proposals you may make.

ENERGY STAR

While initially developed by the EPA as a voluntary labeling program to promote energy-efficient products, ENERGY STAR is also applicable to buildings, whether existing or new construction. Free, simple and easy to understand, ENERGY STAR is a single-attribute government certification.

For products, it relies on manufacturer-provided data or third-party testing. For buildings, the certification is similarly simple, based on energy efficiency in design and execution of new buildings and refitting and refurbing existing buildings with more energy efficient appliances and systems.

National Green Building Standard

Administered by the National Association of Home Builders, the NGBS establishes green construction practices and performance levels for residential areas. It covers both new construction and renovations on residential homes and apartment buildings.

NGBS is a different flavor of the same process as LEED, with slightly different names to their four levels of certification (The top level is Emerald, because it’s green… get it?). The certification is based on lot design; indoor environmental quality; operations, maintenance and owner education; and energy, water and resource efficiency.

While this is a relatively new certification, it is gaining traction with builders. Building professionals who incorporate green building principles into homes without driving up construction costs can also be designated as Certified Green Professionals™, a handy title to add to your name.

Green Globes

Green Globes doesn’t get as much attention as other building certifications, but maybe it ought to. It’s based on 7 different categories: energy, indoor environment, site, water, resources, emissions and project management. The program applies an online assessment, rating system and outline for sustainable design and operations to both new construction and existing buildings.

Green Globes verifies compliance and introduces uses to the idea of incorporating Life Cycle Assessment tools into material and resource selection. The system is binary and a project must receive a 35% rating based on a 1,000 point system in order to receive the certification and buildings are rated between one and four globes. The certification is straightforward and user-friendly, so anyone can handle it.

BREEAM: Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method

BREEAM is the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for projects from new construction to refurbs. They use third party certification of a property’s environmental, social and economic sustainability.

It’s well-known and straightforward. You can’t go wrong.

Greenguard

Like Green Globes, Greenguard is not yet widely used, but should be soon. It focuses on indoor air quality and low-emission building materials. The certification is available primarily for new construction, but major renovations can also qualify.

There are four programs available: Indoor Air Quality Certified, Children & Schools Certified, Premier Certified, and Building Construction Certified. To obtain the certification, buildings and products have to meet strict requirements on managing moisture intrusion, mold prevention and product choice and approved buildings are re-checked every year.

The certification’s popularity should continue to grow as information about the effects of indoor pollutants continues to spread.