A new resource is brewing for utility contractors of all stripes at the National Utility Contractors Association. They’re calling it NUCA University, a comprehensive digital education platform covering anything and everything related to utility work.

Step one, going on now, is combining and organizing the 50 years of material that NUCA has accrued.

“Our goal is to disseminate this information in a timely manner, with a minimum amount of effort from our members,” says Jim Stepahin, director of education and training.

A big part of the process is bringing all their knowledge into the digital age and finding a way to incorporate it into their website. They are also interested in working new media into the university, such as animation and video.

This isn’t NUCA’s first foray into digital education, as they have hosted webinars in the past and are in the process of developing that feature further.

Stepahin says they hope to begin rolling out the platform through 2018.

As far as topics, NUCA is open to suggestions, but it will certainly encompass their current educational offerings, such as confined-space training, competent person training and pipelayer classes. “We’re just in the throes of beginning to develop those kinds of things but would welcome any industry input,” Stepahin says.

Right now, the organization’s current training portfolio is focused on safety. The NUCA Competent Person Class is their most popular, with over 400,000 individuals completing the course since its beginning. Their confined-space training is also popular, with 250,000 trainees to date.

“Our classes are taught by our authorized instructors, many of whom are listed on our website under the safety training link,” says George Kennedy, vice president of safety. “We developed the program; we train the instructors; and we created all of the materials.”

The trainers go through their own separate education program through NUCA to become authorized. “They have to apply, and they have to be selected based on their background and experience, their knowledge of OSHA, and their ability to be a trainer,” Kennedy says.

The base cost for each of those trainings, which are offered as stand-alone opportunities, is $150 for members and $175 for nonmembers. Trainers may charge more depending on travel or other factors.

“In addition to offering live training, we also have courses on discs that we can actually send to people; they can actually conduct their own classes if they want,” Stepahin says. Pipelayer Training consists of three modules, or chapters, that can be bought individually for $495 each or as a package for $1,335.

“The pipe installation training program covers the fundamentals of water and sewer pipe installation using modern equipment and technologies. These programs can help your crews to work together safely and productively,” according to the NUCA website.

Chapter 1 covers job layout; Chapter 2 is excavations, trenching, manholes and backfilling; and lastly, working with pipe is Chapter 3.

In addition to these programs, there are a number of resources available across the site for members only, such as “Toolbox Talks” and “NUCA Pit Stop.”

“We’re in the process of a new strategic plan,” Stepahin says. “We’re really excited about our NUCA University, and we have a definite road map forward. … That’s where we’re headed with the information that we have currently at hand. But we’re always looking for new avenues of communicating.”