Modernizing During COVID

COVID-19 has changed our industry and our lives forever. We are all adjusting to “the new normal” and the loss and limitations on our day-to-day lives. For the Local 393 Training Center, we are not only weathering the storm, but taking advantage of it. “We are making lemonade out of lemons,” said Brian Murphy, center coordinator. “And out of this terrible situation, we are modernizing our training center years ahead of scheduled plans.

“When the shelter-in-place order hit, the training center closed its doors for about two weeks,” Brian recalled. “But we quickly came to the realization that this wasn’t going to be a few weeks, but a few months, or even a year. So we suspended our semester and went into high gear to transition our entire curriculum to an online learning environment. 

“Given the time and money involved in this undertaking, we wanted to do it right – 393-style –  so that we could use it beyond the pandemic. It’s an opportunity to move toward a future of hybrid learning that is partially in person and partially online. This will create flexibility, more in-depth education, and provide apprentices with the technical tools they need right off the bat.

Laptops for All Apprentices

While the training center was closed, Brian and the staff flew into action to create the very best online apprenticeship program in very little time. They purchased 500 laptops so each apprentice and instructor has their own, with backups to spare in case one breaks down. Because of the local’s relationship with Dell, we secured a great deal, and because of our partnership with Foothill College, we got Canvas, the online training software, for free. All laptops were then loaded with Microsoft Office, Zoom, and Bluebeam Revu — the field design software.

“We spent the whole summer getting the laptops set up with software, training the instructors in Canvas, and developing all the online courses,” said Brian. “We are reopening in August with a staggered start, prioritizing apprentices who were supposed to graduate this year. Lectures will all be online, and labs will be in person per County guidelines with social distancing, masks, and temperature taking.”

Reinforcing One’s Education

Brian continued to discuss some of the advantages of modernization. “The benefit of online lectures and demos is that they are all housed in Canvas. Students can attend, and when they go home to do their homework, they can go back and refresh, review, and reinforce what they’ve learned. Assignments and tests will be done electronically and graded automatically. That creates less burden for instructors, and gives them more time to develop their courses and give students personalized attention. It also creates greater flexibility for the student to work on their own time, especially when most apprentices are juggling work, family, and other responsibilities.”

Learning Technology of Our Trade 

Working on the computer, apprentices also reap the benefits of learning the technical tools of our craft. “Having their own laptops, apprentices learn computer skills and get lots of exposure to different software,” said Brian. “They get more comfortable with the technology that they need in the field anyway, like Bluebeam Revu, the design tool we use in the field. It’s no longer separate, but integrated into the coursework.”

Strengthening Community 

According to Brian, nothing replaces hands-on labs and seeing your peers face-to-face, but Canvas allows for the building of community. “One of the best things about this online tool is that it provides an opportunity to create an apprentice community, engage with other classmates, and have access to instructors. There are a tools like “discussions” where the instructor or a student could create a topic, folks can weigh in, and the instructor can facilitate. There’s also a chat app where everyone in a class can just have conversation to create that brotherhood and sisterhood of our union.”

A Cutting-Edge Future

Though COVID has really disrupted our lives, and we mostly feel the setbacks and losses, Brian and the training center staff have seen opportunity. “I’ve always wanted to integrate more technology and have more online classes,” said Brian. “That was going to take me years to do and get everyone on board and secure the resources. But because of the pandemic, we had to do it, so it was a blessing in disguise.

“Over the next two years, it’s really going to develop and take off as we hone the program. It’s been very rewarding to work at the training center with the staff and instructors. Everyone pitched in and stepped up. This was a mountain, and it’s bringing a mountain of change. I’m so proud that of our union and that our brothers and sisters have adapted and risen to the challenge.”