“We are lacking skilled workers, and we need to be doing our part to improve that.”
This call to action from Nick Dill, recruiting coordinator and director of sustainability for
Robins & Morton, Birmingham, Ala., is in step with a company that has walked the walk when it comes to reaching out to construction students. From teaching courses on estimating and building information modeling (BIM) to arranging site visits, career days, co-ops and internships, Robins & Morton makes it a priority to ensure students at
Auburn University and other nearby schools are up to speed on what it takes to be successful in the construction industry.
“Staying engaged with students allows for a better understanding of what they’re being taught and helps with the recruiting process,” says Dill, an Auburn alumnus. “We need to stay in tune with schools because a lot of things are changing—BIM, sustainability, integrated project delivery—and we need to make sure they are keeping those topics at the forefront. We love to promote from within, so that entry-level position is critical for our company.”
These days, recruiting trips occur less frequently and internship numbers are down. As recently as two years ago, Auburn construction graduates enjoyed 100 percent job placement; now it’s at about 30 percent, according to Dill. But once more projects start getting the green light, he is confident the hiring will pick up.
In the meantime, many students are electing to stave off the employment slump by getting a master’s degree or MBA—the next best thing to having on-the-job experience, Dill says. Still, being able to step foot on a jobsite or bounce ideas off a superintendent is priceless in overcoming the fear of the unknown.
“We had one co-op student who had never left Alabama, so we sent him to a project in New Mexico. He was nervous and didn’t know what to expect, but once he got out there he said it was the best thing he ever did,” Dill says.
“School gives a great foundation, but you really learn from hands-on experience. The sooner students get that, the better off they’ll be in their careers.”
Learning through Competition
Just a few years ago, Eric Nash was an up-and-coming civil engineering student at the
University of Central Florida (UCF), attending classes full time while working up to 35 hours a week as an intern. Always eager for more real-world experience, he discovered
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) had a student chapter at UCF that offered scholarships, educational and networking opportunities with local contractors, and—most intriguingly—an annual construction management competition.
Prior to the competition (to be held next at ABC’s 2011 Construction Education Conference in San Antonio), four-person teams develop a project schedule and safety plan in preparation for a bid day drill. Onsite, the students spend an arduous day responding to mock subcontractor bids and changes in the project’s scope to devise a final proposal, which is judged on its safety, project management/scheduling and estimating.
“My first year, we put in a full month of work before the competition and didn’t end up finishing the final proposal in time,” says Nash, now a project engineer with
Wharton-Smith, Inc. “The stress on the bid day is through the roof. You think you’re familiar with the project, but then you find things that are missing. Learning how to adapt to that stress and figure out how to pull together a proposal was a great experience.”
Realizing practical experience was a huge asset to the competition, Nash continued volunteering with the ABC student chapter at UCF after graduating in 2008.
“I enjoy helping other students. I encourage them to think outside the box and do a professional job,” he says. “To see them open their eyes to what’s going on at the competition … some light up and keep coming back, and others realize it’s not what they want to do.”
Though Nash recently was transferred to a job in Cayce, S.C., he still keeps in touch with the UCF student chapter president to help out as needed. And he continues to expand his capabilities—swapping commercial jobs for a stint on a $52 million wastewater treatment project in Wharton-Smith’s environmental division.
“I’m out in the field day to day assisting project managers and superintendents with submittals, RFIs and productivity analyses. Every day is something different, which I love,” he says.
Leaving His Comfort Zone
Roger Thimm, controller at
Wondra Construction, Iron Ridge, Wis., isn’t surprised that young industry members are motivated to give back to construction students. Having been involved with the
University of Wisconsin-Platteville for the past seven years, Thimm says the volunteer work is all about developing relationships.
“The people I talk to will be able to go back and do the same thing at their schools. Students are more than willing to help,” he says.
Additionally, being involved in the
ABC Student Construction Management Competition allows Thimm to stay up to date on what’s going on in the industry and gain perspective outside his typical 50-mile radius in Wisconsin. The issues presented on bid day are similar to what he faces day in and day out—and like the real world, some students respond better than others.
“In my world it’s real dollars, but they’re learning, which is what the classroom and the competition are all about,” Thimm says. “I look back at when I came out of college and I question if I could have done the competition. It shows the students can adapt their classroom training to the field.”
Thimm logs some classroom hours as well, traveling the three hours from Iron Ridge to Platteville four times a year to talk to students about everything from safety to new GPS technology. He also serves on the university’s advisory council to provide feedback on construction industry developments and stay abreast of what’s happening in other industries.
“It gets me out of the office and out of my comfort zone,” Thimm says. “Sitting with the students at ABC’s competition is a highlight of my year. I feel like I get more out of it than the time I’m spending. It should be work, but it’s not.”
Building an Interactive ProgramFor students, the highlight of interacting with industry professionals is escaping the routine of classroom lectures. When Craig Smith contacted UCF’s ABC student chapter president last year to see how
Florida-based
WELBRO Building Corporation could get involved, the foremost request was exposure to real-world situations. Smith, an assistant project manager with prior experience in recruiting, took the reins and developed an eight-week program during which WELBRO employees taught courses for two to four hours on Fridays, when the students normally didn’t have class. Topics included project management, estimating, safety and scheduling—all the big items UCF’s engineering-focused program doesn’t cover in depth.
“They get lectured to so much, so anything hands-on was great,” Smith says. “We arranged for them to do exercises, like takeoffs on a wall, and they were encouraged to ask questions.”
Taking the program a step further, Smith arranged for site visits to UCF’s Recreation and Wellness Center Phase II Expansion, which WELBRO was building on campus. Wrapping up in November, the 65,875-square-foot LEED Silver-designed addition allowed the students to see underground and foundation work first hand.
“They got to see what it looks like when concrete is poured. We would set the plans out and then show them what it looks like in 3-D,” Smith says. “The students loved it so much they asked us to come up with a name for the program so they could put it on their résumés. They really felt like they got a leg up by participating.”
WELBRO benefits, too, by gaining exposure to new talent.
“UCF’s engineering program is great, and the students involved in ABC and our Friday program show they are interested in doing more than just ‘regular’ school,” Smith says. “We can see they are the leaders and go-getters.”
Still, it takes real devotion from an industry member like Smith to set aside up to eight hours a week organizing speakers, course topics and site visits—a commitment for which he was honored as ABC’s Supportive Contractor of the Year. And it takes the buy-in of a company like WELBRO to give him the freedom and executive-level support (even a vice president taught a class) to make the program succeed. WELBRO plans to repeat the program in the fall, and is considering duplicating it at other area schools in the future.
"On a personal level, I like to bring people up in our industry. I’ve had mentors, and to be in that same role is pretty cool,” Smith says.
Every Monday night, Gerrad Delatte spends a few hours teaching 35
Louisiana State University (LSU) students about industrial materials, methods and equipment. Though the department outlines the coursework, the real draw of the class is Delatte’s 20 years of experience as a project manager with
Turner Industries Group, L.L.C., Baton Rouge, La.
“I give them a pretty good perspective on parts of my career that could help in their careers,” he says. “It’s very rewarding because it’s hands on with the students. It’s so uplifting to be involved with them that closely.”
Having been part of LSU’s Construction Industry Advisory Council for several years, Delatte knew the department was in need of faculty with real-world experience, so he stepped up to the plate in 2007.
“I already had a master’s degree, which is required to teach, so it was a natural fit for me,” he says. “You may think you don’t have the time, but a little time goes a long way. You just have to fit it in and work around your schedule.”
Delatte has the support of Turner Industries Group to leave early for class or other LSU engagements, knowing it is like a “community service” the firm offers to future industry members.
“Our company wants to be involved, especially with the LSU construction department and advisory council, because it helps us keep a pulse on the education of young people who one day will be part of our organization,” he says.
Looking ahead, many universities nationwide report a dearth of instructors qualified to lead classes on fresh topics such as BIM and sustainable construction.
“There aren’t a lot of people out there with the know-how to teach these courses, but it’s coming,” Delatte says. “I’m partial to someone teaching with a ‘been there, done that’ approach, rather than just out of a book.”
In other words, for construction industry professionals who are interested in putting their experience to use by preparing the next generation for productive careers, teaching is most definitely for you.