MA The Maintenance Academy Maintenance 215 · Black Boots Initiative · shared with Foundational Fundamentals

General construction

Construction Core: Pre-Apprenticeship Foundations

13 weeks · 23 lessons · 8 section tests · 10 written questions · final exam · 12 hands-on skills

Construction Core prepares you for any trade and for apprenticeship applications. It covers the same areas as nationally recognized pre-apprenticeship programs and the OSHA 10-Hour Construction topics, and it's reviewed by licensed and experienced tradespeople.

What you will be able to do

  • Recognize and control the Focus Four hazards (falls, struck-by, caught-in or between, electrocution) and health hazards like silica, noise and heat, and know your rights under OSHA.
  • Read a tape to 1/16 in, work with fractions, decimals and metric, and estimate concrete, drywall, paint and lumber.
  • Use common hand and power tools safely.
  • Read construction drawings: views, scales, lines, symbols, title blocks and callouts.
  • Understand rigging, sling angles and crane signals, and handle and store materials safely.
  • Communicate on a crew, stand up to harassment, get hired, keep the job and manage your pay.
  • Respond to emergencies: CPR and AED, bleeding, burns, eye injuries and fire.

How the course works

Lessons and check questions online, a test at the end of each section, and a final exam drawn from every section (80% to pass). Hands-on skills are signed off by an Academy instructor and listed on your certificate.

What you will be ready for

  • An authorized OSHA 10-Hour Construction class (the card itself must come from an OSHA-authorized trainer).
  • A hands-on First Aid, CPR and AED class.
  • Apprenticeship applications and interviews, entry-level jobsite work, and the trade courses that follow.

A note on credentials

This course follows the same subject areas as NCCER Core and the Building Trades' Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3), but it is not accredited by NCCER, the Building Trades or OSHA and does not issue their credentials. Your certificate records completion of this coursework and any skills an instructor verified.

Course outline

  1. Weeks 1-2

    Build Your Future in Construction

    Careers and pathways, how construction projects work, and the people who built America.

    1. Careers and pathways in the trades Video 30 min
    2. How a construction project works Video 30 min
    3. The heritage of workers who built America Video 25 min
    4. Section test (5 questions)
    5. Written answers (1 question)
  2. Weeks 3-5

    Basic Safety

    OSHA and your rights, the Focus Four hazards, PPE and health hazards, and tool and materials safety.

    1. Introduction to OSHA Video 30 min
    2. Fall hazards Video 40 min
    3. Electrocution hazards Video 30 min
    4. Struck-by and caught-in or between hazards Video 35 min
    5. PPE and health hazards Video 35 min
    6. Hand tool, power tool and materials safety Video 30 min
    7. Section test (9 questions)
    8. Written answers (2 questions)
  3. Weeks 6-7

    Construction Math

    Fractions and the tape measure, decimals and conversions, area, volume and estimating.

    1. Fractions and reading a tape measure Video 35 min
    2. Decimals and unit conversions Video 30 min
    3. Area, volume and estimating materials Video 35 min
    4. Section test (6 questions)
    5. Written answers (1 question)
  4. Week 8

    Hand and Power Tools

    Introduction to hand tools and power tools, and choosing and caring for them.

    1. Introduction to hand tools Video 30 min
    2. Introduction to power tools Video 35 min
    3. Section test (5 questions)
    4. Written answers (1 question)
  5. Week 9

    Construction Drawings

    Types of drawings and title blocks; scale, lines, symbols and dimensions.

    1. Types of drawings and title blocks Video 30 min
    2. Scale, lines, symbols and dimensions Video 35 min
    3. Section test (5 questions)
    4. Written answers (1 question)
  6. Week 10

    Rigging Awareness and Materials Handling

    Rigging basics, slings and hand signals, and safe materials handling and storage.

    1. Basic rigging awareness Video 35 min
    2. Materials handling and storage Video 30 min
    3. Section test (6 questions)
    4. Written answers (1 question)
  7. Weeks 11-12

    Communication and Employability Skills

    Communication on the jobsite, respect at work, getting hired, and keeping the job and managing money.

    1. Communication on the jobsite Video 30 min
    2. Respect at work: harassment and discrimination Video 30 min
    3. Getting hired: résumés and interviews Video 30 min
    4. Keeping the job and managing your money Video 30 min
    5. Section test (6 questions)
    6. Written answers (2 questions)
  8. Week 13

    First Aid, CPR and Emergency Response

    Emergency response on the jobsite.

    1. Emergency response on the jobsite Video 40 min
    2. Section test (5 questions)
    3. Written answers (1 question)

  9. Final exam

    50 questions from every section, 80% to pass.

    1. Final exam

Hands-on skills

Show these to a Maintenance Academy instructor on a job site or in the shop. Each one they sign off appears on your certificate as a verified skill.

    1. Inspect and wear PPE correctly
      Inspects and properly wears a hard hat, safety glasses, hearing protection, gloves and a high-visibility vest for a given task, and explains why each is needed.
    2. Inspect and don a fall arrest harness
      Inspects the harness and lanyard, puts the harness on snug with the D-ring between the shoulder blades, and identifies a suitable anchor and the fall clearance needed.
    3. Set up and climb an extension ladder
      Inspects the ladder, sets it at 4:1 with 3 ft above the landing, secures it, and climbs with three points of contact.
    4. Read a tape measure to the nearest sixteenth
      Reads and marks ten measurements correctly to 1/16 in, including feet-and-inches values.
    5. Square a layout with the 3-4-5 method
      Lays out a square corner using 3-4-5 (or a multiple) and confirms a rectangle by equal diagonals within ⅛ in.
    6. Estimate materials for a small project
      Calculates concrete yards for a slab, drywall sheets for a room and paint gallons, with sensible waste factors.
    7. Use a circular saw and drill/driver safely
      Inspects the tools, sets blade depth, supports the work, makes a straight square cut on the waste side of the line, and drives screws using the clutch, wearing eye and hearing protection.
    8. Read a set of drawings
      Finds the sheet index, title block and revision; reads a dimension string; uses an architect's scale; and follows a callout to its detail.
    9. Inspect slings and give crane hand signals
      Inspects a synthetic and a wire rope sling against removal criteria and gives the standard signals for hoist, lower, stop and emergency stop.
    10. Lift and stack materials correctly
      Plans a lift, uses proper body mechanics or a team lift, and stacks lumber and bagged materials stably and clear of edges and walkways.
    11. Read an SDS and a GHS label
      Finds the hazards, required PPE and first aid on an SDS, and identifies the pictograms on a label.
    12. Perform hands-only CPR and use an AED (training manikin)
      Checks the scene, calls 911, gives compressions at the right depth and rate, and follows AED prompts correctly.