Leveraging resources for workforce development: Westvirginia's industrial construction project management program

Abstract

Completed in March 2017, the Industrial Construction Project Management program became the first for-creditconstruction management program in West Virginia. The program curriculum, created by Extension faculty andindustry professionals, is designed for mid-career craft workers and supervisors in the construction industryand comprises 180 hr of instruction. The program demonstrates the pivotal role Extension professionals canplay in meeting economic development needs in their states. The program pilot phase provided a new careerpathway for 25 journeymen craft workers who received a 12-credit-hr construction management certificateand fulfilled a long-term need of industrial construction employers in the region.