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September 4, 2023 | Training

Training Experts Still Improving


During a summer break in apprenticeship training, instructors and staff from the North Atlantic Carpenters Training Fund (NASCTF) met in Albany for their second annual “Subject Matter Expert” conference.

The four-day series of meetings is set up to allow instructors and staff to learn from each other and qualified other professionals, all with an eye toward upping their game.

“We can always get better and more consistent,” said NASCTF Executive Director Tom Fischer.

“The first thing an educator needs to do is learn. That’s part of our make-up and it doesn’t go away when we start teaching. To reach our full potential as individuals and as a team, we have to share our experiences and learn from each other.”

Among the agenda items were in-depth discussions of specific craft techniques and materials as well as lesson plans, teaching methods, health and safety and soft skills for helping NASCTF operate more effectively.

This year, the final night’s dinner was sponsored by the UBC Eastern District and the conference was attended by a handful of representatives from training programs in other UBC Eastern District regional councils at the suggestion of Eastern District Vice President Bill Waterkotte.

“Training is our future and the more uniform and consistent we are collectively with our training- the better business decision we are for our industry and contractors,” Waterkotte said. “We need to continue to be the best we can be in our training of all our members.”

Fischer said the collaborative nature of the meetings improves camaraderie and energizes everyone. Sonny Cirincione, an interior systems instructor at the Millbury training center, agreed.

“The momentum and energy of the conference will spur us on to more progress than we imagined,” he said. “Our directors and coordinators are on a mission to improve our curriculum and instruction, so that our apprentices exceed our signatory’s expectations from their first days on the job and beyond.”

The NASCTF operates 17 training centers in the seven-state jurisdiction of NASRCC. Forty full-time and almost 150 part-time instructors work with program administrators and staff to deliver comprehensive skills training to apprentice and journey-level members of the UBC.