The instructor was explaining load-bearing calculations to a room of construction apprentices at Simply Learning’s Jarrow facility. Half the class squinted at the washed-out projector image. The other half had given up and focused on their notes instead.
I was there for the training session, but I couldn’t ignore what I was seeing. Five training rooms—carpentry, plumbing, electrical, site management—all running projectors that should have been replaced years ago. Dim output. Failing bulbs. Mounting brackets pulling away from walls. The building was solid. The technology was holding back the training.
Scoping the Project
After the session, I talked to the operations director. They knew the equipment was failing. They’d been planning upgrades but couldn’t afford downtime—courses were booked solid for six months.
I approached it like a site assessment. Five training rooms, each different. The large theory rooms needed displays visible from 30 feet. Technical drawing rooms needed precision for detailed blueprint work. And we had a three-week window between course cycles to do the bulk of the work.
The Build
We stripped out the old projector systems completely—ceiling mounts, cable runs, control boxes. Five rooms upgraded with Sony commercial-grade LED displays. 75-inch screens for theory and site management rooms where 20+ apprentices need clear sightlines. 65-inch for technical drawing rooms where detail matters more than size.
The install presented challenges you don’t see in new builds. Routing new cabling through 40-year-old walls without tearing out plasterwork. Reinforcing mount points on stud walls that weren’t designed for 67-pound displays. Working around existing electrical that couldn’t be shut off during operational hours.
Our spec requirements were driven by the facility’s reality:
Minimal downtime. We worked evenings and weekends during the three-week gap between courses. When classes resumed, we finished two rooms during lunch breaks and after hours. Zero training sessions canceled.
Robust mounting. Every mount point got a structural assessment. We added backing plates and wall reinforcement in three rooms where existing stud spacing wouldn’t support the load. These displays will run 8-12 hours daily, giving them a 15-17 year lifespan.
Clean integration. Instructors use dry-erase boards constantly—sketching site layouts, marking up plans, explaining code requirements. We positioned displays to the side, not center. Screens handle the digital work: site footage, safety videos, technical standard PDFs. Boards handle the teaching work.
Plug-and-play functionality. Instructors aren’t IT staff. Power cable, HDMI cable, done. No control systems, no network setup, no help desk calls. Turn it on and teach.
What the Upgrade Delivered
Three weeks after we finished, I checked in with the same instructor. He told me apprentices could now see every detail of the safety demonstration videos. Technical drawings displayed clearly from any seat. The chronic “can someone read that to me?” questions had stopped.
Project completed in three weeks. Five rooms upgraded. Zero sessions canceled. Zero apprentices displaced. And instructors who can finally teach without fighting their equipment.
The vocational training market is projected to reach $648.9 billion by 2030. Construction apprenticeships increased 22% over the past 5 years, with over 451,000 apprentices in 2024. Construction firms and apprentices evaluate training facilities before committing. Upgraded infrastructure signals commitment to the trades.
We work in the North East. We know these facilities—the building constraints, the operational pressures, the budget realities. Apprenticeship programs increase retention by 40%. Quality training facilities play a role in keeping apprentices engaged and completing their programs.
Good facility upgrades start with watching a training session. You see what’s failing. You see what instructors work around. Then you build something that fixes the problem without creating new ones.