The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) announced details about the NWFA University at last month's Wood Flooring Expo in Charlotte, N.C. The University is set to launch July 1.

NWFA University is an online platform that gives individuals an opportunity to participate in wood flooring training when and where they want it.

“This changes our education, our certification, everything the NWFA has built for training over the years and enables users to take advantage of our services remotely,” said Brett Miller, vice president of education and certification.

NWFA University is comprised of individual learning modules lasting 15 to 20 minutes, with an online testing component. A series of modules will lead to badges that can be earned.

A badge is a digital representation of a learned skill, and contains content that can be shared on social media platforms. Badges will serve as prerequisites to hands-on training, which will allow for more time to develop hands-on skills during in-person training. A combination of badges and hands-on training will lead to certifications. 

“The University is set up in career paths,” said Miller. “Students can take individual modules, or can bundle modules with hands-on training in defined career paths. This provides students with a clear direction for acquiring the training needed to advance their skills and differentiate themselves from their competition. It also gives them a way to let consumers see their commitment to their profession through education and training.” 

As students complete modules and earn badges, their company will be prioritized in NWFA’s “Find a Professional” search tool on its consumer web site, woodfloors.org. Those earning badges move up in the search with each badge they earn. Those earning certifications receive top listings, with multiple certifications at the top of the list. 

“This is the first time we’ve been able to link training to consumers,” said Miller. “It provides tangible evidence that our members who attend training have mastered the skills needed to do the job right, and hopefully, charge more accordingly.”

Career paths for Installation certification and Sales certification will be available at launch. Additional career paths will be added throughout the year.

For more information, visit nwfa.org/nwfa-university.aspx.