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How To Learn Professional Construction Skills Online
The crew at M.T. Copeland are helping carpenters and other construction-related tradespeople take their skill sets to new levels. The online educators are putting together a set of courses that cover the construction site, from basic carpentry and hand tool use to blueprint reading and construction math.
“There is so much institutional knowledge that gets passed along in the trades,” says Gabe Jewell, CEO, M.T. Copeland. “We set out to bring that to the surface to make education for skilled trades more accessible.”
Jewell sees the online courses as a natural extension of apprentices and traditional trade programs. “We want these courses to be the next step in the tradesman’s journey,” says Jewell. “We started with courses that will help people get into the building industry.”
The classes are designed to be accessible anywhere, whether at lunch, on the jobsite or at home. Each course has 8 to 15 lessons with worksheets and materials supplementary to the course. Individual lessons last between 5 and 20 min.
A key part of building the courses is selecting the right instructors. “The first requirement is that they be masters of their craft,” says Lauren Michaels, M.T. Copeland. “Secondly, do they go beyond doing the job? Are they obsessed with building well and building right? Finally, are they excited about sharing their knowledge and giving back to the industry?”
Jewell is clear about what they can and can’t do. “We can’t put a hammer in your hands, but we can give you cut sheets to take to the lumberyard and blueprints you can download and practice with,” he says.
In a world of free YouTube videos, are formal courses like these needed? The easy answer is yes. M.T. Copeland charges $75 for unlimited access to a course that is well laid out, technically accurate and complete in its scope.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, M.T. Copeland Technologies, Inc., 2430 3rd St., San Francisco, Calif. 94107 (www.mtcopeland.com).


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2021 - Volume #45, Issue #3