Strengthening Community College and Workforce Partnerships in Construction Management

Employment in construction management is expected to grow 11% over the next ten years. In response to this workforce demand, Hudson County Community College recently developed an Associate in Applied Science degree program in Construction Management. This degree includes transferable general education classes as well as relevant training in construction management.

Current construction management students are trained on new construction methods, protocols, testing procedures, engineering drawings, software, cost estimation, and management principles. However, the rapid rate of change in construction technology requires continuous curriculum updates and additional real-world experiences prior to graduation. The project will work to achieve these needs by revitalizing the Industry Education Advisory Board as a Business and Industry Leadership Team.

This change is expected to result in increased engagement of potential employers and improved outcomes for students through academic and industrial co-leadership of the project.

The goals of this project are to (1) develop structured partnerships with local employers to increase internship opportunities and employment for Construction Management students and graduates, and (2) ensure rigor and relevance of the academic program in partnership with the Industry Education Advisory Board. It is expected that these changes will result in training of qualified employable graduates in 12 to 36 months of project initiation.

Hudson County Community College will continually evaluate the success of these initiatives, including the quality and number of partnerships created, as well as the number of internships, apprenticeships, and new job opportunities for Construction Management students. This effort is anticipated to enhance eight courses in the degree program, and enable students to sit for national licensing exams as they proceed.

Co-leadership with the Industry Education Advisory Board will allow Hudson County Community College to continually align their academic programs to keep pace with changes in construction management. The project plans to recruit and retain veterans, female students, minority, non-traditional students, students with special needs, and incumbent workers.

Hudson County Community College will share the results of their work among the other 19 community colleges in New Jersey and the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.