Education and NAMC Accreditation History with NCCER

The primary purpose and mission of the National Association of Minority Contractors is to initiate, encourage, promote and assist in the education of: 1) Construction Contractors, 2) those desiring participation in the Construction Industry and 3) the industry stakeholders to assure equal opportunity of participation in all areas of the Construction Industry; and to integrate the various ethnic groups, races, creeds, and colors into this industry. In summary, we believe in and adhere to the value of Education for assuring equal opportunity of participation in all areas of the Construction Industry.

Our Association is indebted to the vision and passion of William "Bill" Truitt for its strong commitment and capacity to provide Education, Craft and Advanced Training to NAMC Members, which enable us to fulfill our primary purpose for our membership.

Before becoming affiliated with NAMC, Bill was the Director of the Kings Bay Contactor Assistance Center from 1982 to 1990; and from 1990 to 1993 he was a Construction Services Coordinator, U.S. Department of Commerce. These experiences shaped his understanding of the barriers faced by minority contractors in the Construction Industry and provided him with the insight for resolving the major problems and issues faced by our contractors. Bill realized that the lack of sufficient education and craft training among the minority segment of the construction workforce; and a lack of emphasis on continuing professional education (CPE) and advanced training among minority contractors were preventing a significant number of them from reaching or achieving their full business potential. As a result, he became an effective and passionate advocate for the benefits of an education and training regime for minority contractors.

In 1993 he was responsible for the formation of the Northeast Florida Chapter of NAMC, which received its charter from National early in 1994. He became the Chapter's first Executive Director and an instrumental member of NAMC'S Education and Training Committee, being appointed Co-Chairperson in the late 1990s. Under Bill's leadership, he advocated strongly for an emphasis on Education and Training as the basis for growing the capacity of minority contractors and the supply of a quality minority workforce segment. Moreover, the Northeast Florida Chapter went on to become an Accredited Training Sponsor (ATS) of the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), the leading organization for construction education and occupational craft training for the Construction Industry. As an ATS of NCCER, the Northeast Florida Chapter (NFC) is the center of NAMC National's intra-organizational education and training program, which is available to all chartered chapters of NAMC. NFC administers accredited, standardized courses developed for the industry by NCCER including industry craft and advanced training, that are offered through local chapters and on a regional and national level. As an additional benefit, NCCER maintains a National Registry for participants, which complete courses offered through NAMC. Through the Registry, participants' education and training activity is documented with an individual record and history of their training. This documentation follows participants throughout their construction career and provides them with added value relative to an opportunity for employment when being evaluated by prospective major employers or alternatively with growing minority contractors. If you would like to visit the NCCER website, just click on this link www.nccer.org.

Access to Equal Opportunity in the Construction Industry provides meaningful economic and business development for the members of NAMC, the communities of our members and minority contractors in general. The realization of economic opportunity, which creates better earnings results for minority contracting businesses and which provides more income per capita for their employees, is most effectively accomplished through education and training. This is true because education and training contribute to the growth of minority contractors due to them being able to hire a quality workforce, minority and otherwise, when local, state and the national economies are growing. The leadership of NAMC has captured the principals and fundamentals of education and training and has embedded it in our way of life. We remain committed to providing and contributing these resources on behalf of minority contactors in accordance with our primary purpose and mission.