Introducing RCMA Virtual Training

By Cass Jacoby. 

The RCMA Virtual Training Program helps bring quality training to the roof coating industry and ultimately helps support the industry. 

The Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association (RCMA) made a big announcement exclusively on RoofersCoffeeShop® in a very special Read Listen Watch (RLW) where they introduce the RCMA’s first-of-its-kind virtual coatings training program! Heidi J. Ellsworth meets with RCMA Technical Director Chadwick Collins, for a conversation on the new training program and what it entails, and have a conversation on the general importance of training within the industry. 

“Like any roofing product, our manufacturers, our members, recognize the importance of a well-trained workforce to install those products correctly,” says Chadwick. “We all understand the importance of training, of having that workforce being trained and being up to speed not only on technique but current technologies as well as the new technologies, and perhaps new methods, that are improvements over the old standby methods.” 

Chadwick shares that the main goal of these modules is to save contractors and consultants from heartache and bad first interactions with coatings by telling them important information up front. “Every product has those bad experiences, those bad installations or where someone did a poor product selection where that product shouldn't have been installed in those situations, coatings is no different,” says Chadwick. “But at the same time, we want to recognize that the best way to eliminate that is through education. And so that's really one of the key tenets of what we're trying to accomplish with these modules.” 

The training modules will cover evaluating and preparing surfaces for roof coatings, roof coating technologies and roof coating application best practices. The modules are designed to bring the best the industry has to the contractors, consultants, engineers, everyone.  

The first module launched in September, with the next two modules following soon after, however the courses here are ongoing. “And as always, the industry, when we talk about regulations or building codes or anything, those things are very fluid anyway,” says Chadwick. “If anything, the industry always seems to find something for us to talk about and I think that will create environment for us to create additional modules as well.” 

Not only can contractors  take these courses and work through the modules at their own pace, there's also an opportunity for them to get a certificate of completion. At the end of each module is a 10-question test that assesses the student’s retention of the information. To get certified, a contractor needs to answer seven out of 10 questions correct. They will have at least two chances to take the assessment again for a higher score.  

“Once they have that passing grade, which we think a lot of people are going to have that very easily out of the gate, they will get a certificate of completion and it will have their name on it,” says Chadwick. “It will specifically say they completed the module. And so this isn't going to be tied to say a company or to an event hosted by anyone. It's going to be tied to the individual that sat down, watched the module and took the assessment.” 

Read, Listen or Watch this webinar to learn more about the new RCMA training programs and how you can get certified. Get started today!  

Learn more about Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association (RCMA) in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.roofcoatings.org.   

About Cass  

Cass works as a reporter/writer for RoofersCoffeeShop, AskARoofer and MetalCoffeeShop. When she isn’t writing about roofs, she is putting her Master degree to work writing about movies and dancing with her plants.