Universal Engineering Sciences

To create a valuable experience for military service members who are in good standing in their current positions, eligible to participate in the SkillBridge program, and desire to leave their positions within the Department of Defense and transition into the private-market engineering sector. The STRIVE Accelerator program is standardized enough for a clear, transparent path to meaningful positions in the private-side engineering industry. Principally through transfer of skills from previous experiences, the STRIVE Accelerator pairs rapid-pace teaching and training, in multiple formats, with hands-on experience in laboratory, field and classroom settings for real-life applications of the course content within the environmental consulting, geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing/inspection and building sciences markets. This mixed format will allow service members to apply previous experiences in practical ways and grow professionally at a pace that is sustainable yet accelerated. For UES, this creates a unique opportunity to bring fresh minds and spirits into UES with no or limited private industry-specific experience.

For the the first 1-3 months, you will receive onboarding, introduction to our industry, and general education with training.For the remaining time in the program, you will select your desired specialized education and training track (of 3 listed below) and shall notify the Program Director of the selection. This selection can be made as early as Week 4 but no later than week 12. Service Member shall coordinate with Program Director and Skillbridge leadership to enroll in external certification training and exams in accordance with Specialized Education and Training Matrix for Skillbridge Program.Track 1- Steel, Welding and Bolting Specialist/InspectorThis track includes an introduction, training, and examination attempt for certification for the International Code Council’s Special Inspector General Requirements (“how to be an inspector”) exam (2 weeks), followed by the ICC Spray-Applied Fireproofing certification (2 weeks), the ICC Structural Steel and Bolting (S2) exam (4 weeks) and finally, the ICC Structural Steel and Welding (S1) exam (3 weeks). Once these four exams have been successfully passed, the service member will be sent to an American Welding Society (AWS) Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) 40-hour training course which culminates in the certification exam. To successfully complete this Track, a service member should attempt the AWS CWI exam and obtain at least a 50% score on their first attempt. Passing the AWS CWI at any time during the Track will result in immediate graduation from the Track regardless of time spent in the program at that time. Otherwise, to successfully complete this Track, a service member should obtain no less than 3 certifications in 12 weeks.Track 2- Commercial Building Specialist/InspectorThis track includes an introduction, training, and examination attempt for certification for the Building Sciences area of UES service lines. These services include quality assurance and control inspections for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing elements within new and existing structures. ADA compliance reviews, plan submittal review and permit expediting within local jurisdictions are also services covered by this Track. There are dozens of various certifications within this area of work, but most stem from the ICC Commercial Building Inspector (ICC CBI) certification, so a service member that selects this track will focus training and studying initially to pass this certification (6 weeks). Once certified as ICC CBI, the service member will then choose the order in which they want to gain additional certifications and On-the-Job Training (OJT) in ADA, plan review, mechanical, electrical, fire, smoke control, plumbing, etc. To successfully complete this Track, a service member should obtain no less than 2 additional certifications (other than ICC CBI) within the remaining 6 weeks of time, for a total of 3 certifications in 12 weeks.Track 3- Civil Materials GeneralistThis track includes an introduction, training, and examination attempt for certification for the International Code Council’s Special Inspector General Requirements (“how to be an inspector”) exam (2 weeks), followed by the ICC Spray-Applied Fireproofing certification (2 weeks), ACI Concrete Strength Testing Technician certification (2 weeks), and ACI Aggregate Testing Technician certification (2 weeks). Upon completion of these certifications, the service member should then seek to obtain 1 additional certification (pick any) from ACI, NAQTC, WAQTC or ICC. Additional certifications can be found at applicable websites listed in Appendix B (matrix). To successfully complete this Track, a service member should obtain no less than 3 certifications in 12 weeks.