Southwestern Michigan College is offering the residential builders pre-licensure course, beginning Jan. 13.

The class takes place in the Jan and A.C. Kairis Building, Room 523, on the Dowagiac campus.
The course meets the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) required hours for anyone seeking a state residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractor license.

The course is designed for those who have skills in the construction trades but are not licensed by the state.
SMC is a LARA-approved residential builders pre-licensure education sponsor.

Students who complete the entire pre-licensure course are eligible to sit for the state exam. 
The class meets Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings through Feb. 17.

Students receive a certificate of completion after successfully finishing the entire course. The four-credit-hour course covers business management, estimating and job costing, design and building science, contracts, liabilities and risk management, asbestos abatement, marketing and sales, project management and scheduling, Michigan residential building code, construction safety standards (MIOSHA) and building trades and blueprints.
In addition to the pre-licensure course, SMC offers an Associate Degree in Construction Trades Green Technology as well as a Construction Trades certificate for people who have no knowledge of the building trades industry.

The certificate prepares students in construction practices and meets standards defined by the Michigan residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractor license, as well as local apprenticeship programs. For more information about the pre-licensure course, tuition and fees or to complete an SMC application, contact Susan Wandel, continuing education coordinator, at 800-456-8675, ext. 4803, or swandel@swmich.edu.