Glazing Technician Certification Program Steering Committee Meets in Chicago

The Architectural Glass and Metal Technician (AGMT) Certification Program, a third-party, personnel certification initiative being developed by Administrative Management Systems Inc. (AMS), held a steering committee meeting in Chicago on July 20. The group is designing a program to validate glaziers’ fundamental knowledge and skills.

At the meeting, the steering committee agreed upon the program’s model, scope and mission. The agreed-upon model will begin with certification of fundamental knowledge and capabilities, which is expected to be complete within 18 months, and then progress to more in-depth certification endorsements in specific product categories. “I’m very excited about this program,” says Ken O’Donnell, training coordinator and instructor for Glaziers Union Local 27 in the Chicago area. “This will bring the glazing trade to the next level; raise the bar.”

The 27-member steering committee includes industry experts from three major stakeholder segments: glaziers, glazing contractors, and the user community consisting of manufacturers, suppliers, architects, consultants and spec writers.

Prior to the Chicago meeting, committee members offered provisional direction through a survey. In addition, the committee ranked, by importance, more than 60 knowledge and ability items within eight glazier job task categories. The survey feedback and item scoring provided the committee with the basis to begin designing the content for written and physical assessment.

“… Dovetailing the AGMT program with the newly formed North American Contractor Certification (NACC) Program will cover the major elements that can bring about real improvements in the glazing industry,” says Ben Beeler, the program’s co-designer and operations manager. The NACC Program is an initiative that provides certification recognition as a means of evaluating competency, business procedures, and adherence to industry-accepted best practices for participating glazing contractors.

An AGMT subcommittee specifically addressing the design format of the physical assessment component of certification will meet in Hanover, Md., on September 20.