Welcome to the latest episode of Behind The Print, where we bring you the creative stories of industry leaders shaping the world of professional printing. In this episode of Behind The Print, we’re joined by Daniel and Trenton, the owner and manager of Classes4Contractors. With a vast level of contracting experience and a passion for helping other succeed, Daniel and Trenton help break down the convoluted legal text into material into something the average person can understand and even enjoy. This not only helps his students become contractors, but also helps them advance their career along the way. If you’re interested in becoming a contractor or already are a contractor and want to take the next big step, this episode is for you.

Below, you’ll find the transcript of our conversation, edited for clarity to ensure easy reading. If you want the full, authentic experience, make sure to check out the video attached below.

10-minute read

My biggest teaching philosophy is that continuing education can be painful. It can be painful to sit there and listen to someone for 18 hours. Literally, I will speak for 18 hours over a two day period. I’m a licensed electrical contractor in 38 states. Which means I have to do a lot of continuing education. Some of it’s painful, so I understand we have to make it as fun as we can.

Zoe Fisher

Welcome back to Behind the Print Podcast where we feature industry leaders and uncover the creative minds and their businesses within the world of professional printing, our mission is to provide you with inspiring actionable resources that elevate your business projects and accelerate your journey to excellence in profit and print. Today’s episode is Classes4Contractors, Electrical Exam, Preparation, and Continuing Education, and I’m here with the Classes4Contractors owner Daniel and manager Trenton.

Daniel Sandefur: Hello everybody.

Zoe Fisher: So Daniel, who do you serve through Classes4Contractors and what does that responsibility mean to you as an educator in the trades profession?

Daniel Sandefur: So we do a lot of different education, one of our primary focuses is on exam preparation. Throughout the country all electricians have to be licensed, and they’re licensed as either apprentices, journeymen, and they eventually move up to their master electrician license. They have to pass a test to become a journeyman and then their master’s and these tests are very difficult. We strive to and to help people pass these exams, we hold conferences and have a lot of students come in and we teach them how to pass their test. The other part of this is once you are licensed as an electoral contractor, you have to maintain continued education.

Every state is slightly different. Some of them require four hours of continuing education a year. Some of them require 24 hours of continued education every three years. We provide that education and we write all of content and programs.

Zoe Fisher: That’s awesome. That sounds like a huge step ahead in the game of just continuing education because I know that can be a hassle for a lot of people in those trade industries. So, what’s your teaching philosophy?

Daniel Sandefur: My biggest teaching philosophy is that continuing education can be painful. It can be painful to sit there and listen to someone for 18 hours. Literally, I will speak for 18 hours over a two day period. I’m a licensed electrical contractor in 38 states. Which means I have to do a lot of continuing education. Some of it’s painful, so I understand we have to make it as fun as we can.

The, National Electric code is what we’re based off of, and it is a legal document. So it’s written by lawyers in very legal terms, right? I take the legal terms and then transfer it over into my southern lingo, as you can tell by the accent to where we can actually understand what they’re trying to tell us. Because some of it’s just very difficult to even understand.

Zoe Fisher: And do you think that’s what sets Classes4Contractors apart from other continuing education or exam prep platforms?

Daniel Sandefur: Well, one of the benefits of our course is we make it fun, but not only do we make it fun. The, National Electric code is what we’re based off of, and it is a legal document. So it’s written by lawyers in very legal terms, right? I take the legal terms and then transfer it over into my southern lingo, as you can tell by the accent to where we can actually understand what they’re trying to tell us. Because some of it’s just very difficult to even understand.

Zoe Fisher: Yeah. Super dense material. So what would you say for somebody getting into Classes4Contractors and they’ve taken continuing education in the past and not really excited to take their next continuing education, what, advice would you give them?  

Daniel Sandefur: Give us a shot, listen to the course. I promise you’ll learn something. I don’t care whether you’ve been doing it for 5 years or 35 years, you’ll learn something from our course. And again, we try to make it as entertaining and as interesting as possible so you’re not falling asleep during the middle of the course.

Zoe Fisher: So tell me, was there ever a moment that just left a lasting impression on you with a client or somebody that you were helping and you would never forget it?

Daniel Sandefur: You know, that actually happens to me almost daily. We teach a lot of people throughout the country and one of the things that really keeps me motivated is to watch a younger guy succeed and pass his test. I get text messages and emails and phone calls saying “I never would’ve been able to do this without you” I help them move up, which in turn means they’re going to make more money, they’re gonna get more responsibility, their family’s gonna do better. But the side benefit of that, and actually what keeps Trenton and I going almost daily, is the phone calls, emails, and texts we receive saying “Thank you, you made a difference in my life.”

Zoe Fisher: That’s so cool. That’s really interesting too, because it’s something so simple that you’re creating and making that thick content really understandable, breaking it down for people, and I think that’s awesome.

Daniel Sandefur: And then that’s what makes our job rewarding. It’s, you see, because once they pass this test and they get their licenses, they can move on. I’ve been in all sides of this. I’ve had to hire guys that have that particular license in that particular state.

Zoe Fisher: Right. Oh, so interesting. So you mentioned challenges. What are some of the challenges that you’re facing right now as an educator or business owner in the trades education space?

Daniel Sandefur: You know, one of the challenges that Trenton and I struggle with every day is continuing to improve with technology. Technology advances rapidly, but how do you utilize things like A.I. to break this down? Again, break it down into something simple. A lot of these guys want to sit and want to look at us face to face. They don’t want to take an online course, but we do offer those. We offer online courses, we offer Zoom. But the majority of the students want to sit in front of me. That way they can raise their hand if they have a question. So one of our biggest challenges is how to utilize that technology.

Zoe Fisher: That’s super interesting and I think a lot of industries are facing that right now, with the new usage of  A.I. and just how to implement that into their business is the big code everyone’s trying to crack right now.

Daniel Sandefur: It is. And that, you know, Trenton and I, probably spend a lot of time every day thinking about that. How do we utilize new technology? And we’ve tried many of those things, but there’s nothing better in this particular field than sitting down and actually having face-to-face instruction with someone.

Zoe Fisher: So you had mentioned how you get everything printed so they can pick a virtual learning experience or a in-person learning experience. Tell me a little bit more just about how you use print in general.

Daniel Sandefur: So we have a class manual. Of course, I create a PowerPoint that walks us through the entire course provide them with a manual. They can take notes, they can write the answers down.

Zoe Fisher: Yeah. Hitting every base for learning styles. There you get them, reading it, writing it, seeing it, teaching it. I love that.

Daniel Sandefur: We do utilize our phones, we do utilize our computers and things like that, but most of us still want to touch it, read it, feel it. We literally use textbooks in the classroom along with the class manuals. There’s not a lot of computer usage going on other than myself with PowerPoint and with Zoom.

Zoe Fisher: So what would you tell somebody who’s interested in contracting work but isn’t too sure because of continuing education being so difficult?

Daniel Sandefur: So continuing education is actually easy, but sometimes it can be painful. A great example of that is Texas, we offer a four hour course, which is actually three hours and 20 minutes because they allow you to take a 10 minute break every hour. So it’s basically watching a video and answering basic questions. Many of our Google reviews are “I hate continuing education, but I loved yours. We will use you every year from now on.”

Zoe Fisher: So if you weren’t sitting through a class and enduring that pain and you were out enjoying the day and you had nothing to do, not going to work, what would you be doing?

Daniel Sandefur:  Probably sitting in the swimming pool in the backyard. Love it. We live in the Orlando, Florida area, so we do a lot of consulting with the theme parks. We’re out at the theme parks a lot doing electrical work. Both  Trent and I are just constantly working and traveling now. This weekend I’m going to Dallas, Texas, teach class. In two weeks, I’m going to Eugene, Oregon to teach a class. Well, I’ll teach that class, but let’s stay a couple of extra days and have a little fun while we’re here. So we enjoy the trips and just meeting new people and, like I said earlier, just changing people’s lives.

We enjoy that part of it. So even though it’s work, it’s really not terrible. I feel like when I sit in a classroom, I’m literally talking to 40 or 50 of my friends for eight hours and then the next day we go back because it’s usually 10 minutes we get to know each other and they realize, okay. Stuff. Shirt, right?

Zoe Fisher: That’s really cool. Really cool. So for anyone listening who wants to get certified, renew their license or take their education to the next level, what’s the best way to get in contact with Classes 4 Contractors?

Daniel Sandefur: You can go to our website; It is classes4contractors.com. I encourage people to even look at the reviews before you even go, and then there’s a phone number on that website. You can sign up online for classes, or call Trent’s phone and he’s, a workhorse too. It amazes me. I’ve seen him  answering phone calls six o’clock on Sunday night, so you’re not going to get a teleprompter that’s going lead you to call 15 other people. You’re going to talk to Trenton and he give you all the information you need and how you need to get to the next level.

Zoe Fisher: That is awesome. And is there anything else you would like our listeners to know before we end the episode?

Daniel Sandefur: You know, we do, we have a great love for what we do. We enjoy helping people. If you think you can’t do it, I promise you can do it. I literally work with people and Trenton works with people every day, one-on-one. We don’t have a hundred percent success rate the first time. We do have people that struggle with the test. We will literally sit with them on a Zoom class one on one. Make sure they get it and we have the tools and resource success.

We enjoy helping people. If you think you can’t do it, I promise you can do it. I literally work with people and Trenton works with people every day, one-on-one. We don’t have a hundred percent success rate the first time. We do have people that struggle with the test. We will literally sit with them on a Zoom class one on one. Make sure they get it and we have the tools and resource success.

Zoe Fisher: That’s very true. Well, you guys heard them. They love what they do and they can help you.

So classes4contractors.com. But that’s a wrap on another episode of Behind the Print podcast. Thanks to our listeners for joining us as we have explored the artistry and innovation of the printing world. Remember, having a strong vision, building the right strategy, and using tools like print to amplify your message will make your brand stand out from the crowd.

If you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, stop by printingcenterusa.com and get yourself a free sample pack to share with your fellow business enthusiast. Until next time, keep those creative sparks flying. And remember, there’s always more to discover behind the print.

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