CONCRETE PRACTICE – BASIC COURSE
Course Syllabus
Introduction
Under the Country’s Vision 2030 and the Big 4 Agenda, infrastructure upgrade has been given high priority, especially in the Transport and Building sector. Such Infrastructure projects involve the production of large volumes of concrete, hence the need for a better understanding of concrete as an important construction material. Cement hydration, hardening process, use of admixtures, mixing, placing, and curing of quality concrete are important concepts that must be thoroughly understood by construction site supervisors.

Site supervisors perform a very important role in ensuring quality work is produced daily on construction sites, Therefore, they must have the right knowledge, skills, and the right attitude to ensure work on-site is efficiently carried out and meets the required specification. The concrete practice basic course is the first in a series of three courses that have been designed to improve site supervisors’ knowledge and skills in the organization and management of the construction sites. The other two courses are: –

  1. Introduction to Road construction
  2. Introduction to Contract Management and Administration

Training Duration

This is a 4-day course focusing mainly on quality concrete production i.e. materials; manufacture; placement; compaction and curing of concrete. The course will also provide the participants with knowledge and skills on the quality control tests at every stage of concrete production

Target Group

The course structure and content have been prepared to meet the needs of construction site supervisors especially diploma graduates, junior engineers, master craftsmen, etc

At the end of the course participants would be able to: –

  1. Appreciate the use; performance; and versatility of concrete
  2. Have a clear and concise understanding of the relationships between Cement; Aggregates; Water; and concrete strength
  • Identify the materials composition and properties of concrete that meets the design specifications
  1. Have a basic understanding of concrete mix design
  2. Appreciate the basic concrete testing equipment that must be available on site
  3. Identify the basic causes for defects in hardened concrete

Concrete Practice – Advanced Course

The advanced concrete practice course deals with the material science of concrete and attempts to bring about better understanding of concrete behavior. The course discusses the structure and properties of high performance concrete, behavior of fresh and hardened concrete and long term performance issues related to creep, shrinkage and durability. This course targets Engineers and other professionals as part of continuous professional development as required by Engineer Board of Kenya EBK

Concrete Practice – Basic Course – Course Outline
Module 1: Introduction to Concrete Technology

  1. Introduction to Concrete Technology
  2. Materials for concrete
  • Cement
  • Aggregates
  • Water & Admixtures

Module 2: Properties of Concrete

  1. Types and Properties of Concrete
  2. Concrete Production & Quality Control Tests

Module 3: Quantity Estimation & Pricing of Concrete works

  1. Estimation of Material Quantity
  2. Calculation of Unit price
  • Practical Exercise in Quantity Estimation and calculation of unit price

Module 4: Practical Exercise

  1. Practical exercise in concrete production and quality control tests