| Commonly
Asked Questions
What is Building Operator Certification?
Building Operator Certification (BOC) is a professional development
program in the energy efficient operation of building systems to
qualify facilities professionals for certification. BOC is a growing
national program, now in 16 states including Washington, Oregon,
California, Illinois, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.
How do I become certified?
Certification is competency-based and offered on two levels. Level
I provides a foundation in building systems and equipment. Level
II emphasizes equipment troubleshooting and maintenance.
To be certified, you must:
- Register for BOC classes
- Successfully complete all classes and exams
- Successfully complete project assignments
- Submit a certification application to BOC
- Renew certification annually
What will I get from the BOC training and certification?
- The most current know-how in building operations
- Expansion of your current skills to overall facility maintenance
and operation
- Advancement of your skills in maintaining, troubleshooting and
optimizing performance of building systems
- Increased opportunities for your employment advancement
- Continuing education credits for all course work
- A national registration of your BOC certification - recognized
in Washington, Oregon, California, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin,
New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and seven other states
- A BOC certificate and identification card
- A regular newsletter bringing you technical articles and news
about training and re-certification opportunities
How is the training done?
Each of the classes (scheduled one day a month) consists of classroom
study, small group exercises, tests and project assignments, some
performed at your own work facility. These projects demonstrate
your ability to perform skills addressed in the BOC classes. Some
project work requires you to gather information about your facility,
and provide descriptions of and recommendations for particular systems.
These work assignments will give you a useful overview of your facility’s
operational characteristics, energy consumption, and maintenance
status.
How good are the instructors?
BOC instructors are all personally experienced in facility maintenance
and operation as well as being excellent teachers. They have employment
experience in the facility specialty they are teaching, plus an
average of 10 years of instruction experience in the workplace.
All BOC instructors are evaluated by the students and each continues
to ranked "very good to excellent."
Where and when are the trainings held?
We try to locate BOC trainings as near to as possible to minimize
your travel time and expense. Visit the training
schedule on this site.
What will be my time commitment necessary for
study and out-of-class projects?
Level I: A total of 56 hours of classroom training
over seven months, and five project assignments, each taking approximately
four hours to complete.
Level II: A total of 49 hours of classroom training
over six months, plus three project assignments.
Is the BOC training accredited?
Continuing Education Units (CEU’s):
- International Facility Management Association (IFMA)
- Building Owners and Managers Institute (BOMI)
- National Association of Power Engineers (NAPE)
- University of California at San Marcos
- Lower Columbia College (Washington State)
- Lane Community College (Oregon)
Re-licensing:
- Electrician re-licensing is available in Oregon and Washington
- Engineering and land surveying re-licensing is available in
Oregon
Awards:
BOC received an “exemplary program” award from the
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy in 2002.
Who is sending employees to the BOC trainings?
Major employers across the country are sending operators to BOC
training for certification. Since 1996, over 1,000 operators have
earned BOC certification. Awareness of BOC certification is as high
as 45% among employers in many regions. Here are some of the many
employers sending employees to BOC.
Manufacturing
Boeing Company, Cisco Systems, Weyerhaeuser Company, Immunex, Sharp
Electronics, Frito Lay, Hewlett Packard, Corning
Government
U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard, General Services Administration,
U.S. Postal Service, Federal Aviation Administration, National Oceanographic
Administration, State facilities in California, Oregon, Idaho and
Washington
Education
Over 40 school districts, community colleges, and universities nationally.
Hospitality
Doubletree Hotels, Ramada Inns, Marriott
Health Care
Brigham and Woman’s Hospital, VA Medical Centers, Providence
Health System
Property Management
Boston Housing Authority, Cushman & Wakefield, Melvin Mark Co.,
Sabey Corporation, K&S Property Management
Retail
Home Depot, Sears, IKEA
Municipalities
Over 20 municipal and county government facilities, libraries and
park & rec district
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