Foundations Technician

Course Description
The Foundations Technician Certification course is intended to prepare the technician to monitor and document drilled shaft and driven pile operations resulting in safe foundation installation per contract documents.  Individuals who complete this course will be certified to perform Foundations Technician duties on SCDOT projects.  The technician will learn the specifications, terminology, equipment and process details pertaining to drilled shaft and driven pile installation.  The course describes the technician's role from the beginning step of the Drilled Shaft and Pile Installation Plan to the final step of shaft and pile acceptance.  The instructors for the course are made up of knowledgeable industry consultants and SCDOT representatives.

Course Outline
To become certified, participants must attend a three-and-a-half (3 ½) day course and pass two written exams (one on pile driving and one on drilled shaft construction) with a score of 80% or higher on each of the two exams.  Both written exams are open book and open notes.

Topics covered include:

• Pile Driving System
• Pile Installation Plan
• Pile Driving Process
• Drilled Shaft Subsurface Investigation
• Drilled Shaft Definitions
• Drilled Shaft Construction
• Drilling Slurry
• Drilled Shaft Concrete
• Non-Destructive Testing
• Forms
• Case Studies

 Entry Requirements/What to Expect
All participants attending these courses are required to have at least six months of work experience in the type of work for which they are seeking certification. In addition, participants working for SCDOT must have math certification before attending. Please contact Mr. Aly Hussein (803-737-6687) and see the SCDOT Technician Certification Policy for more information on math certification.

Prerequisites for All Participants

• Current SCDOT Concrete Level 2 Technician, including ACI Field Grade 1 Certification (For information on SCDOT Concrete Certification, see the SCDOT Technician Certification Policy.)
• Experience form signed by a certified Foundations Technician confirming 6 months of related experience in driven pile and drilled shaft foundations construction

Additional Prerequisites for SCDOT Participants Only

• SCDOT Math certification (For more information, contact Mr. Aly Hussein at 803-737-6687 or see the SCDOT Technician Certification Policy.)

Re-certification Requirements
To become re-certified, the participant must attend a two-and-a-half (2 ½) day course and pass two written exams (one on pile driving and one on drilled shaft construction) with a score of 80% or higher on each of the two exams.  The re-certification course will contain a general overview, a review of all specification changes, and any procedural changes that may have occurred.

Frequency of Re-certification
The certification period is five years. An individual will be informed, by way of a letter mailed to the technician's last address of record, when the certification period is nearing the expiration date. If the technician was last registered for certification by his/her employer, the last address of record may be the employer's address. However, it is the responsibility of the individual to keep Tri-County Technical College and the Technician Certification Board advised of his/her current address. The individual is also responsible for registering for the re-certification course, attending the re-certification course, and passing both of the written exams with a score of 80% or higher.

For more information, call (864) 646-1700 or toll free 866-269-5677, Ext 1700

(within the 864 area code) or e-mail conted@tctc.edu

For additional class offerings, visit our full course listing and schedule of classes.