Since 2022, CSA Education has strategically prioritized Career and Technical Education (CTE) in response to the prevailing demand in the market. We believe that building strong CTE content will afford students the opportunity to pursue successful careers aligned with their individual strengths and interests. CTE instruction is rooted in the core skills and competencies that make up the sixteen CTE career clusters and are defined by the standards and skills required by the industries they support.
NCCER’s Program Needs
NCCER approached CSA Education to help with their 2023 Journeyman Electrician Exam Preparation program.
Electrician trainees undergo an apprenticeship that spans four to five years of combined classroom and on-the-job training. This entails accruing 2,000 hours annually in on-the-job training, amounting to a total of 8,000–10,000 hours, supplemented by over 600 hours of related technical instruction in a classroom setting. The culmination of this training is the state-level Journeyman Electrician licensing exam, a significant milestone for securing the necessary credentials to work independently as an electrician.
Typically, a gap in time exists between the completion of the student’s classroom training and the completion of their required hours of on-the-job training. The NCCER Exam Preparation project was designed to make sure that their students had a way to prepare for the exam without having to seek external exam preparation resources. As of 2020, the demand for electrician jobs in the United States reached 729,600, with an anticipated annual growth of 84,700 through 2030, as per the Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov). The substantial demand underscores the imperative for a product that addresses the transition from Level Four to Licensed Electrician status.
In response to this need, the NCCER Product Development Department initiated exploration in 2022 to craft a product that both aligns with the requirements of their training sponsors and caters to the developmental needs of emerging craft professionals.
Project Scope
Exam Prep Questions:
The Creation of 700 multiple-choice test questions to be used for:
- Practice tests (aptitude)
- Untimed tests
- Timed tests
Each question included feedback on the correct answer and a reference to either the NFPA code or the related content within the NCCER curriculum. The questions were based on 2023 NFPA 70 National Electrical Code standards, standard electrical calculations, and current industry electrical installation practices.
NEC Test Prep Guide:
A 20-page test prep guide was produced that outlined the types of questions found on the exam, details on what to expect, study techniques, test-taking strategies, and preparation notes for the day of the exam.
Approach
CSA approaches projects in a way that is built on respect, collaboration, and quality. We strongly emphasize project planning before our work begins to ensure that the entire team is on the same page. We have found that this increases efficiency throughout the project.
Collaborating closely with our client teams, we formulate a tailored communication plan for each project, outlining the specifics of feedback delivery, meeting frequency, as well as the format and frequency of email communication. Emphasizing transparency, we firmly believe that our diligent oversight and ownership of our work serve as the bedrock for the superior quality and consistency we deliver.
Team Structure
The team structure for this project included oversight from our Senior Director of Project Management and Director of CTE. We also had a staff PM who was dedicated to the day-to-day needs of the project, and freelance subject-matter experts who served as content creators and editors to shape and review content, providing feedback and grade-level expertise.
Challenges and Successes
One thing that was critical for this project was that the questions could not use phrases directly from the NFPA 70 (NEC 2023) language for copyright and licensing reasons. Another critical point was making sure everything was aligned with the current 2023 version of the code book.
One success on the CSA side is that we were able to shift and adapt to sourcing needs. We kept our schedule and actually delivered more questions than originally requested, allowing the client to have options.
On the NCCER side, the test prep program we created was a big success for them and they came back to CSA to work on a similar test prep program for the HVAC EPA 608 refrigeration exam.
To learn more about CSA’s CTE services, please visit our website, or contact ib*****@cs****.com. You can learn more about NCCER and their learning solutions by visiting https://www.nccer.org/.
