The word “audit” doesn’t necessarily have the most pleasant connotation for most non-profits.
However, Construction and Maintenance Education Foundation (CMEF), the training affiliate of Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Houston, successfully passed their recent NCCER audit. After a training facility is accredited by NCCER, they participate in an audit every three years as part of the reaccreditation process. Acting almost as a review, an auditor will assess the facility’s effectiveness by evaluating equipment, classes, student performance and instructor records. NCCER awarded CMEF the Accredited Assessment Center and Accredited Training Sponsor Certificates, and endorsed the Foundation for Mobile Crane and Rigger/Signal Person certification delivery.
The goal of the audit is to ensure all NCCER-accredited training and assessment facilities maintain the standardized delivery process, NCCER Director of Marketing and Public Relations Jennifer Wilkerson said.
“[Passing the audit] means you can continue to do what you’re doing. Training and assessments can continue to be offered,” Wilkerson, said.
This is done to ensure all NCCER accredited training centers teach the standardized curriculum in order to maintain a safe and knowledgeable workforce. NCCER’s mission, Wilkerson said, is to provide standardized training and assessments that employers can count on, ensuring a safe and educated workforce. That way, when a potential employee applies for a craft professional position with NCCER credentials, the employer can immediately know what skills the candidate has acquired. CMEF provides the standardized craft training and assessments to the Houston metro area. By passing this audit, the Foundation demonstrates that the training and assessments provided at the CMEF facility meet NCCER guidelines.
“Accreditation is very important,” Danielle Birney, Audit Program Manager, said. “It ensures we have a standardized process that everyone follows. It means there is a standard in place which all accredited training providers must follow. That’s the importance. If it’s not standardized, there’s no confidence in the credential.”
After passing the audit, CMEF contributors and students can have the confidence that the foundation is delivering the necessary training and assessments and is following the guidelines to make sure they are within NCCER process and industry standards.
“NCCER has become the industry standard for training and assessments. It shows that CMEF is providing the curriculum and credentials requested by the industry,” Wilkerson said.
One could almost say that an NCCER audit, while expansive, is just means to provide responses which are necessary to ensure that modification and improvements to the process are made.
“The auditor’s report is more than just a checklist. The auditor also provides any best practices that stood out to them, examples of things they’ve never seen before, study hall advertisements, assessments,” Birney said. These best practices can then be recommended to improve other training facilities.
CMEF’s staff and team pride themselves in their thorough approach to the NCCER audit and the opportunity to display best practices. The mission of training a safe and sustainable workforce is an ongoing process, and an NCCER accreditation is a testament to the hard work being done to accomplish that.
For more information about CMEF’s services, visit our website or call us at 281-478-3900.
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