Fifteen construction professionals are being honored for completing West Virginia’s first Construction Management program, a result of a unique partnership between West Virginia University and the West Virginia Community and Technical College System.

The 12-hour certificate program draws on the expertise of the WVU Extension Service Institute for Labor Studies and Research faculty who wrote the curriculum. The program prepares professionals to manage, plan, monitor and control large-scale construction projects — a critical need for many industry employers in the region.

Graduates will be recognized Thursday, Nov. 12, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. at West Virginia University – Parkersburg’s Applied Technology Building.

The expansion of opportunities associated with shale gas in West Virginia poses challenges for companies associated with the construction phase of the industry, specifically in the area of industrial construction coordination.

WVU Extension Associate Professor Sam White, Ph.D., says the program exemplifies the land-grant mission by seeing a need in West Virginia and responding.

“WVU Extension’s involvement in the Construction Management Certificate program allows us to connect communities with valuable educational resources that prepare participants to fill leadership roles in a vibrant industry,” said White.

The course was developed by White, with assistance from his colleague Jessica Ice, Ph.D., Gary Winn, Ph.D., of WVU’s Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Research, and Charles Pickering, Ph.D., of Parkersburg, to provide career advancement opportunities for those who complete it.

Certificate program participants say they are able to use the skills they learn immediately on the job.

“In our lab work we used Microsoft Project, one of the major scheduling programs used in the construction industry,” said Doug Schane, director of operations and projects for a mine service company in Adena, Ohio. “The in-depth project management processes covered in the course helped me to better understand how to use the software, and it has been very beneficial for me on the job.”

A pilot of the course will be offered in Wheeling in August 2016 and will use a mix of in-person lectures and online learning to allow students to maximize their learning.

WVU Extension’s Institute for Labor Studies and Research provides teaching and research programs to improve labor-management relations.

To learn more about WVU Extension programs, visit www.ext.wvu.edu, or contact your local office of the WVU Extension Service.

-WVU-

ct/11/04/15

CONTACT: Cassie Thomas, WVU Extension Service
304.293.8735, Cassie.Thomas@mail.wvu.edu

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