Construction and Design Academy

By Rebecca McDonald
Tulsa Technology Center

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the construction industry is expected to add nearly 1 million new jobs before 2012 and is the only goods-producing sector with projected employment growth.

To help meet this demand with a skilled workforce, the Associated General Contractors of Oklahoma (AGC), Tulsa Technology Center, Francis Tuttle Technology Center and the state department of CareerTech joined forces in 2004 to form the Construction Education Partnership – a collaborative agreement to pursue the development of construction academies in Oklahoma. Next fall, the partnership’s work comes to fruition as Tulsa Tech launches Oklahoma’s first Construction & Design Academy.

“With an estimated minimum of $2.5 billion in construction contracts issued each year in Oklahoma, it is crucial that we attract and train more individuals in construction-related occupations,” said Melinda Traynor, AGC of Oklahoma education director. “The partnered institutions have put forth funds to develop the construction academies as well as provide construction trade training for new hires and incumbent workers.”

The Construction and Design Academy is a two-year program available to high school juniors who have successfully completed geometry. The curriculum focuses on construction management while incorporating hands-on experience. Students will work with cost/product estimations, time constraints, contract administration and participate in valuable industry activities and internships.

“It’s designed to be a college preparatory course. After completing the program, students will have advanced standing and college credits,” said Frank Dickinson, assistant director of Tulsa Tech’s Lemley campus. “Tulsa Tech has a state-of-the-art construction program with industrial size equipment making it a great fit for the academy.”

The AGC of Oklahoma states that construction workers will continually be required to have a broader skillset and knowledge base than their counterparts.

“From a labor standpoint, tomorrow’s construction worker will be adapting to a more complex workplace with greater jobsite technology,” said Traynor. “Our goal is to help ‘refill’ the employee pipeline through a facilitated program that defines and exposes students to the wide variety of careers available within the industry.”