Historical Timeline

NCCER’s roots extend back to the early 1990s when leading contractors came together to standardize training and provide industry-recognized credentials. Over time, NCCER has expanded to become the industry’s source for training, assessments and certification. NCCER continues to evolve beyond the construction and maintenance industries both domestically and globally. Today, NCCER develops curricula for over 70 craft areas that have been used in all 50 states and in 20 countries.


1991 - 2002

1991

1991-HardHatCollage

Under the Construction Education Foundation of ABC, 11 of the nation’s leading contractors come together to address the emerging shortage of skilled workers and begin the process of standardizing curricula and industry-recognized credentials

1991-CoreCurricula

Core Curriculum releases along with the first five standardized craft curricula: Electrical, Pipefitting, Millwright, Welding and Instrumentation


1993

1993-MTprogramMaster Trainer Instructor Certification Program, Instructor Certification Training Program and Accreditation Guidelines release


First 53 organizations apply for accreditation


First module completion is recorded in the Registry System


19941994-FundingChecks

Fluor and Brown & Root each pledge $1 million in contributions to establish NCCER


1995

1995-AspenSummit

More than 125 construction industry association and academic leaders lay the groundwork for the creation of NCCER at the Aspen Summit.


1995-PrenticePrentice Hall (now Pearson) becomes NCCER's publishing partner


1996

1996-GvilleHQThe National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) becomes an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational foundation on Jan. 1, 1996, and Gainesville, Florida, is selected as the headquarters


1996-DellPartnership

Partners with Dell Computers to offer a desktop computer system that operates CD-ROMs of Core and Electrical curricula



2014-ABC-logo

Associated Builders and Contractors becomes a general partner

2014-AGC-logo


Partners with The Associated General Contractors of America


1996-Certificate

Officially begins offering credentials, certificates, wallet cards and transcripts


BE&K, Dan Vos Construction, Fluor Daniel, Hess Mechanical, Ivey Mechanical, Nova Group and TDIndustries sign the first National Training Service Agreements


1997

Launches website at nccer.org


Business Roundtable endorses NCCER as a method of delivering training curricula, performance standards and certification to the industry and recommends that all owners require evidence of craft training as a qualifier for contractor selection


The Construction Innovation Forum awards NCCER the NOVA award for successfully uniting the construction industry under one training program


1997-BYF-confBuild Your Future’s (BYF) satellite teleconference promoting construction careers broadcasts to more than 300,000 students among nearly 4,000 schools


1998-SkillsUSA

1998

Partners with Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (now SkillsUSA)


1998-ACTEPartners with American Vocational Association (now the Association for Career and Technical Education)


19991999-Core-Spn

Prentice Hall publishes Core Curriculum in Spanish


KBR (formerly Brown & Root) contributes another $1 million


2000

AIG-thumbProduces Annotated Instructor’s Guides for the first time


The National Craft Assessment and Certification Program (NCACP) launches and releases the following assessments: Industrial Carpenter, Industrial Pipefitter, Scaffolding, Boilermaker, Instrumentation Technician and Fitter


Publishes curricula in color

2001 

2001-1million

 

The Registry System processes the one millionth module completion


2002

Establishes Accredited Training and Education Facilities for secondary and postsecondary institutions

2002-ContrenLogo

Rebrands product line as Contren Learning Series 


2002-PipelinePartners with the American Petroleum Institute to develop curricula and assessments for the pipeline industry and launches the Pipeline Training and Assessment Program

2004 - 2013

2004Prov

Partners with Prov to deliver assessments


2005

2005-CIC-week

BYF launches the first career website and the first annual Careers in Construction Week


2006

Releases six curricula through Pearson’s online platform branded Contren Connect


2006-GREATAfter Hurricane Katrina, the GREAT (Gulf Rebuild: Education, Advancement and Training) campaign launches and nearly 24,000 participants along the Gulf Coast complete training during the three-year campaign with an 84 percent placement rate


2007

NCCER, Prov and North American Crane Bureau partner to introduce the Mobile Crane Operator Certification Program


E2007-BlueCardnhances and renames wallet cards the Blue Card for individuals who successfully complete training and assessments


2007-CII-CoverParticipates on the Construction Industry Institute’s Research Team 231: Construction Industry Craft Training in the U.S. and Canada


2008

2008-CEC-DeanEstablishes the Construction Education Champion award for industry professionals with at least 10 years of service to NCCER who have made significant contributions to construction education and workforce development efforts


2008-ANSIMobile Crane Operator Certification Program receives ANSI accreditation


2008-GreenEnvironmentBecomes a U.S. Green Building Council education provider and releases Your Role in the Green Environment


2009

Over 1 million modules are completed in a single year for the first time

2009-CornerstoneMagazine

 Begins publishing The Cornerstone magazine 


2009-FacebookCreates social media accounts on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter



2010

Releases a custom bookbuild database and Instructor Resource Center through Pearson


2010-Estore-ScreenGrabLaunches the NCCER eStore with branded NCCER apparel, signs and other merchandise


2010-SkillsUSA-CarpentryBegins sponsoring the carpentry competition at the national SkillsUSA Championships


2011-NCCER-HQ

2011

Opens new, fully owned headquarters in Alachua, Florida


BYF_logo_finalBYF expands from a career education campaign to a full recruitment and image enhancement initiative. As part of this expansion, BYF

  • 2011-BYF-Louisiana

    launches BYF.org

  • unveils new branding and logo design

  • creates social media account on Facebook and Twitter

  • establishes a five-year sponsorship deal with NASCAR driver David Starr

  • 2011-ScrambleLogodevelops a state partnership with Louisiana

  • hosts the first annual Scramble for Skills golf tournament

2012

Holds first international Master Trainer session and international audit


Online assessments become the prevalent way of delivering assessments instead of paper


2012-NewHQThe board of trustees formally dedicates NCCER’s new headquarters at a ceremony in Alachua, Florida, and the building receives LEED Silver Building Certification from USGBC


2012-CornerstoneOnlineThe Cornerstone magazine is available online at nccercornerstone.org


Timeline-2012-revRenames curricula line the NCCER Curriculum from Contren Learning Series, and Contren Connect becomes NCCERconnect


2013

2013-CICM-Oct

Careers in Construction Week extends throughout the month of October to become Careers in Construction Month


Enhances instructor resources to include comprehensive lesson plans and PowerPoint presentations


2013-SkilslUSA-MasonryPicBegins sponsoring the masonry competition at the national SkillsUSA Championships


Launches the online bookstore for customers to build, save, print and place orders online


2014-Pathways-FullSponsors Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Pathways to Prosperity project, leading to the development of the Construction Career Pathways initiative


BYF develops crosswalks to compare military occupational specialty codes with NCCER training


2014-CWDA-seal

2014 - Present

2014

Releases the Contractors Workforce Development Assessment with the Construction Users Roundtable


2014-HardHatHeroes-LogoBYF introduces the Hard Hat Heroes military initiative, and NCCER is recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama at the Veterans’ Employment in Construction Symposium in Washington, D.C. as a major contributor in developing a fast track for civilian employment


2014-BYF-ScholarshipThe Build Your Future scholarship program is funded and scholarships are awarded through:

  • Associated Builders and Contractors

  • Associated General Contractors of America

  • Folds of Honor Foundation


Build Your Future challenges groups such as the Human Resources Construction Council, Southeastern Construction Owners and Associates Roundtable and local user councils to match BYF contributions for additional scholarships


2014-BreakingGroundBlogLogoReleases Breaking Ground: The NCCER Blog


2015

Releases the Testing Management System to provide online module testing, registry submissions and test results


Creates a new global template for all new and revised curricula complete with metric conversions and international features


2015-PathwaysConnectionMapConstruction Career Pathways initiative expands to include its own website and a connection map to facilitate education and industry collaboration locally


20162016-20thAnniversary

NCCER celebrates its 20th anniversary


BYF_BuildIndianaLogo_120pixelsBuild Your Future develops a state partnership with Indiana


2016-CornerstoneCoverCornerstone Magazine releases a commemorative issue highlighting NCCER's 20th anniversary


NCCER releases an updated Registry System


2017

The online testing system was launched


2018

"Restoring the Dignity of Work: Transforming the U.S. Workforce Development System into a World Leader" was published after an extensive three years of research, led by NCCER and the Construction Industry Institute and supported by Construction Users Roundtable (CURT), Ironworkers/IMPACT and representatives form CII member firms

RT335-page-image

A new partnership — Build Your Future Virginia — was formed between the Virginia chapters of the AGC and ABC.


BYF-AZ_logo-RGB-Red

2019

Build Your Future Arizona was established through a private-sector, industry-driven campaign of the Greater Phoenix Chamber


The NCCER Testing System interface was translated into Spanish, French and Russian to support both domestic and global programs


2020

NCCER Provided Resources, such as remote proctoring and free online craft module tests, to help our accredited network during the pandemic


Surpassed over 20 million all-time module completions by more than 1.53 million students and trainees


The assessment platform was brought in-house, and all assessments are now electronically delivered


150 companies and organizations pledged to connect with students during Careers in Construction Month


Boyd Worsham was appointed chief executive officer and president

2021

The NCCER Board of Trustees approved an investment of more than $4 million in the significant growth of the organization


All module testing is moved completely online through NCCER Testing System


After 25 years of credentialing, NCCER is launching a new era of credentials via digital badges

Badge_mockup_rev02-zoomout_ecm - 700x500


NCCER launched the Journeyman Electrician Test Prep


Build Your Future launched a new website with resources for students, families, educators and industry representatives all in one place.Toolkit Clumps SampleR2