Pre-Apprenticeship Program

Universal Academy offers a one or two-year pre-apprenticeship program to local, qualifying high-school students who are looking to enter the electrical field after high school. The program gets student familiar with material, field terms, and working techniques, while offering them a chance to get ahead in this highly competitive field.

The Pre-Apprenticeship program follows the National Center for Construction Education and Research (N.C.C.E.R.)’s Core construction manual, teaching apprentices the basic knowledge required to work in the construction trade. This Core material is enhanced with a focus on the electrical field and is taught by our field-experienced instructors in the Universal Academy class room. This material is taught in tandem with a hands- on training, so that when the pre-apprentice enters apprenticeship, they do so with a solid foundation in the fundamentals of electrical construction.

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Pre-Apprenticeship Program Course Study

2019-2020 School Year:

The following is the course study for pre-apprenticeship through Universal Academy. It is designed so that students, both Juniors and Seniors, may complete modules and practicals, attain credit from the NCCER course curriculum, as well as prepare them for work in the field when they are eligible.

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Core Curriculum

Juniors Seniors
  • Basic Construction Safety
  • Intro to Construction Math
  • Intro to Hand Tools
  • Intro to Material Handling
  • Basic Construction Safety
  • Intro to Construction Math
  • Intro to Hand Tools
  • Intro to Material Handling
  • Intro to Construction Drawing
  • Intro to Power Tools
  • Employable Skills
  • Communication Skills
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Electrical Training Guide

Juniors Seniors
  • Orientation to the Electrical Trade
  • Electrical Test Equipment
  • Orientation to the Electrical Trade
  • Electrical Test Equipment
  • Basic Electrical Construction Drawings
  • Device Boxes
  • Conductors and Bables
  • Hand Bending
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Hands-On-Training

Juniors Seniors
  • Device Wiring, Receptacles
  • Device Wiring, Split Receptacles
  • Device Wiring, Switches, simple fixtures
  • Hand Bending Conduit: 90 degree stubs and Bends, Pre-positioned using Gain
  • Hand Bending Conduit: Back-to-back 90 degree bends, Pre-positioned using Gain
  • Device Wiring, Receptacles
  • Device Wiring, Split Receptacles
  • Device Wiring, Switches, Simple Fixtures
  • Device Wiring, 3-Way Switches, Simple Fixtures
  • Device Wiring, 4-way Switches, Simple Fixtures
  • Hand Bending Conduit: 90 degree stubs and Bends, Pre-positioned using Gain
  • Hand Bending Conduit: Back-to-back 90 degree bends, Pre-positioned using
    Gain
  • Hand Bending Conduit: Kicks, Multiplier Method
  • Hand Bending Conduit: 30 and 45 degree offsets, Pre-positioned using Shrink
  • Hand Bending Conduit: 4 and 3 bend Saddles, Pre-positioned using Shrink
  • Mechanically Bending Conduit: 90 degree bends and Kicks
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ACADEMY LEADERSHIP

MARC BENSON

Academy Director / Master Trainer / Instructor

As our academy director, Marc is in charge of designing and implementing the curriculum for a 4 year apprenticeship program under the umbrella of NCCER. He oversees the school board, instructors, recruitment, and overall daily function of the academy while also teaching years 2 through 4 of the program.

Marc attended Kutztown University and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education and Curriculum & Instruction. He has his Master Trainer Certification from NCCER and worked as an electrician for Universal Electrical from 2010 to 2016 before establishing Universal Academy. Marc’s vision for the academy is to provide a dynamic, hands on approach to the instruction of the electrical field for those interested and focus on a path leading to a career as an electrician. His goal, through instruction and practical application, is to produce a new, safe, knowledgeable, and talented generation of electricians who have the ability to adapt to today’s ever changing industry.

When Marc is not working, you will find him spending time with his wife, Kayla and son, Declan.