TRAINING SERVICES:

Program: Technical Training & Advancement in Civil Engineering Technology

The Training Center of Jeff Zell Consultants, Inc. trains inspectors and technicians to provide construction Quality Control and Quality Assurance (QA/QC) testing and inspection. QA/QC testing and inspections for construction projects are safeguards included within project documents to ensure that construction materials and workmanship meet the quality requirements of the project as contained in the project plans and specifications.

Construction materials are typically tested both in the laboratory to establish the conditions under which the specified requirements will be met and at the site during the actual placement to ensure that the materials used and the contractors’ workmanship would produce the specified results.

• The center currently offers training in testing and inspection of the three common construction materials, namely, Soils, Concrete and Asphalt. The program is designed to provide the necessary basic knowledge and skills to embark on a very rewarding and in-demand career of this essential third party arm of project teams.

• The program includes classroom instructions, laboratory testing and onsite hands on training on real job situations. In addition to providing the training in an actual typical work environment, the program also prepares graduates to pursue external certification with organizations such as the American Concrete Institute (ACI), National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (N ICET) and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).

• Although the school has traditionally been held in our Coraopolis office, we have conducted classes in remote locations. Zell Schools have previously been conducted in McKeesport, Spears and Erie, Pennsylvania. We are able to set-up portable laboratories similar to those used on construction sites near a classroom facility. We have been identifying locations within the City of Pittsburgh in conjunction with our Liberty Avenue office in the Strip District to locate the school in convenient proximity to City of Pittsburgh residents.

• Jeff Zell Consultants, Inc. is an active participant on the PennDOT/ACEC-PA Workforce Development Steering Committee. This industry-wide committee consists of representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania, the Allegheny County Airport Authority, the Urban League of Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, labor unions including; the carpenters, laborers, cement masons and operating engineers along with numerous individual construction and engineering firms. This industry cluster represents the agencies and companies that would employ students who complete the Jeff Zell Consultants, Inc. Construction Materials Inspection and Technician Training.

• Several Testing and Engineering firms have employed graduates of the School. We are also actively recruiting and training individuals to be employed directly by our firm and typically employ students immediately from such training.

• The construction industry is currently experiencing a shortage of inspectors and technicians to support the level of activity in the Pittsburgh area. This shortage will become more acute as the economic recovery and stimulus money is allocated to more and more shovel ready projects. The actual construction activities on these projects will start in the next few months. The oversight on this level of spending will be critical as the current resources are spread among the various projects. Quality Control measures such as the testing and inspection function for which our students are trained will be in greater demand than ever.

• The construction industry is committed to employing more minority and women inspectors and technicians to meet their workforce goals. The industry actively supports and the recruitment of minorities and women to the industry and is anxious to employ them, especially when they have been properly trained.

Jeff Zell Consultants, Inc. is licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, board of education to provide hands on vocational training in the field of civil engineering technology.

The program is designed to give participants working knowledge of the principles associated with the quality control testing and inspection of construction materials.

Over 600 graduated students since 1993.

Please contact our office if you wish to register or require additional information.