UNIT 2: BIM TECHNOLOGY
Pilot Course

SESSION 1: BIM Technology, Process, Capabilities and Tools - September 24, 2009
SESSION 2: BIM Interoperability - October 13, 2009

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is one of the most exciting developments in the construction industry and is changing the way projects are built.  Join your peers for this two-part course, providing construction industry stakeholders relevant tools and information necessary to implement BIM software and processes. Unit 2 is the second course in AGC's BIM Education Program.

Registrants must participate in both sessions on September 24 and October 13.
Registration Fees | $425 member/$525 non

Session 1: BIM Technology, Process, Capabilities, and Tools - Sept 24, 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Following this session, participants will have the ability to:
• Identify at least five benefits of the BIM approach
• Explain what is meant by parametric modeling and why this benefits the BIM process
• Distinguish between a traditional "silo-building approach and a BIM collaborative open-ended approach
• Associate each class of BIM tools with the appropriate project lifecycle phase
• Match specific BIM tools with their function
• Determine which tools support your project phases and decide if each tool supports the process

Session 2: BIM Interoperability - Oct 13, 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Following this session, participants will have the ability to:
• Recognize the process of integration of a single BIM application with multiple others
• Differentiate ways to model and describe why coordination is important
• Identify several benefits of using scheduling in the model-based construction environment
• Differentiate between estimating for the purposes of determining if a project is viable/feasible, and the estimation process during the course of a ‘live’ project
• Identify the benefits, either direct or indirect, that are realized as a result of a well structured collaborative project environment (working as a team member on a BIM project)
 
Co-facilitated by course developers Jan Reinhardt, Principal, ADEPT Project Delivery and Jonathan Widney, CEO, Solibri.

NOTE: Following this course, participants will be provided a listing of resources for contact for hands-on software training through software firms to achieve the next level of competency in BIM technology.

This offering is the pilot of Unit 2: BIM Technology and participants will have the ability to provide detailed feedback about the course material before it is officially published in December 2009. 

Register now at | www.agcofdc.org

For questions contact Cherie Pleasant at pleasant@agcofdc.org

AGC of America has additional copies of the Build Your Future DVD, produced by the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) that is available to members in good standing and Chapters for no charge.

This DVD is a great way to introduce young people to the many opportunities in the construction industry. Chapters and members are encouraged to use the video at career fairs, summer camps, and any events where there will be young people. The DVDs are also great to give to guidance counselors and career and technical education teachers.

AGC is proud to be a platinum sponsor of this biannual video, produced by our open shop craft training curriculum partner, NCCER. The DVD takes a labor-neutral posture; it does not advocate for open shop contractors, it merely seeks to showcase great workers on great projects.

AGC also has available a companion poster and a brochure about participating in National Careers in Construction Week 2009, to be held October 12-16.

We are making these materials available to members and Chapters on a first-come, first-served basis until we run out. Please email Liz Elvin at elvinl@agc.org to request copies of the DVD and companion materials.

Many contractors and managers fail to realize that the ability to successfully negotiate isn’t a product of luck or magic or even a specific talent. The ability to successfully negotiate is a skill that can be learned. In this two day seminar, Negotiating Skills for Contractors, participants will gain valuable working knowledge of negotiating and listening and how it will benefit their relationships, both personally and professionally.

After attending this two-day course, participants will be able to:
• Implement negotiating skills in a fair and respectful manner
• Discover ways to gain power and control and effectively use them during negotiations
• Learn methods to overcome fear and intimidation
• Identify useful value-based solutions rather than price-based solutions
• Learn the powerful art of listening
• Understand the psychology of negotiating
• Discover usable negotiating methods that work
• Develop methods to manage angry customers
• Discover new business strategies to improve profits
• Learn key tactics to move the hardball negotiator into a more productive frame of mind
• Discover ways to identify common ground for both sides
• Utilize negotiating skills to improve personal and professional life

Join us in San Diego, Calif.  September 29-30 and begin to change the way you do business by learning these valuable skills. Registration is now open. For more information, please contact Carrie Harper via email at harperc@agc.org.

The National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) has released Contren® Learning Series “Drywall Level Two” curriculum.

This textbook is the second of two levels and features six new modules: commercial drawings, cold-formed steel framing, acoustical ceilings, interior specialties, exterior cladding and specialty finishes.

NCCER worked with subject matter experts representing industry and academia across the country to introduce relevant industry material into the existing book.

Students successfully completing Drywall Level Two through an NCCER Accredited Training Sponsor will earn industry-recognized credentials through NCCER’s National Registry.
NCCER develops the Contren® Learning Series Drywall curriculum in partnership with leading textbook publisher, Pearson.

Subject matter experts from two AGC member firms - Tufly Company and Marek Brothers Systems, Inc. - contributed to this curriculum.

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) today published a Request for Proposals (RFP)  to conduct research and create a course plan for a comprehensive Lean construction curriculum for the commercial construction community.

Lean construction, an adaptation of lean manufacturing principles and practices from the beginning to end of the design and construction process, is a culture and a process focused on creating the greatest amount of value for a construction project through a reduction in waste of materials, time and effort. AGC seeks to address challenges the construction industry faces in the adoption of Lean construction processes, and provide a commonly accessible and sustained educational effort. For this project research of literature, interviews of industry stakeholders, a plan for a compressive curriculum, assessment of learning outcomes, and development of a credentialing plan and strategy for instructor training is requested of those submitting proposals.

Proposals are due September 15, 2009 by 5:00 PM EST. The AGC Lean Construction Advisory Group, consisting of members and chapter staff, will evaluate all submissions and select a proposal to be awarded on October 5, 2009.

Inquiries concerning the RFP should be directed via email including name, phone number and organization name to Amy Fields, Senior Director, Curriculum & Program Development at fieldsa@agc.org.

In order to help AGC members and Chapters sponsor Build Up! kits, we are holding a buy-one-get-one-free sale (or buy one Build Up! kit for only $100).

AGC Build Up! kits are an engaging educational resource for young people to learn about the construction industry and the careers it offers. We are hoping that by bringing down the price, AGC members and Chapters will be able to provide more kits to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America that have asked for sponsors.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America have asked AGC to provide more than 400 kits to some of their more than 4,000 clubhouses across the nation, serving more than 5 million young people, many inner-city youths. To date, AGC Chapters and members have provided more than 100 kits, but we still have outstanding requests for more than 300 kits.

Find out if there is a Boys & Girls Club in your area in need of support. Visit AGC’s interactive Build Up! map. Click on your state to see a list of communities that have requested Build Up! kits.

It’s easy to sponsor! Just visit the AGC Bookstore and place your order for the Build Up! kit, Item No. CF40.  You automatically will receive the discount. Kits may be designated for delivery to your shipping address or directly to the club of your choice.

Please note: this sale is available to anyone who wants to buy a Build Up! kit, regardless of whether the recipient is a Girl Scout or Boy Scout troop, a fifth-grade classroom, an after-school program, a community library, a Boys & Girls Club, or some other recipient.

If you have any questions please contact Liv Elvin at elvinl@agc.org or 703-837-56389.

Michigan and Texas have both announced they will devote $1 million in funding to support Registered Apprenticeship.

In Michigan, $1 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be used to provide incentives for companies that sponsor new apprentices.

Texas has announced that $1 million in Workforce Investment Act funding will be added to its Apprenticeship Training Program to help prepare Texas workers for occupations in high-demand skilled trades.

Through the Michigan Registered Apprenticeship Pilot (MRAP), to be launched in August, employers will be able to use the funding to offset the cost of wages and to support related technical instruction provided to apprentices. Participants may also receive educational support amounting to $5,000 per year, for up to two years.

Occupations supported by the Texas Workforce Commission Apprenticeship Training Program include carpenters, cement masons, electricians, engine maintenance mechanics, iron workers, millwrights, painters, plumber/pipefitters, and sheet metal workers.

Click here to view the Michigan’s announcement or click here to view the Texas announcement.