Creating Industrial Partnerships With Construction Management Technology Programs

Construction companies are an integral part of developing and sustaining a construction management technology program. Ongoing support from these companies has several aspects from financial support to political maneuvering. Construction companies can benefit from active participation with the construction management program through indirect recruitment; the CMT program builds mutual benefit with access to extended resources often not available in university budgets. Our program has an active and supportive industrial advisory committee. Participating members help in curriculum development and monitor the progress as the program expands. They provide mentoring opportunities, summer employment, and classroom assistance to enhance the learning environment. Many contractors open their active project sites to student groups to allow direct observation of the industry. We encourage professional networking and the industry encourages student participation in the monthly trade meetings to give students greater understanding of the issues surrounding construction. This paper presents the structure of the industrial partnership that our construction management program has with the construction industry. It discusses how this relationship enhances our program and what the benefits are to the industry. Industry is a great asset in our continuing ABET evaluation.