Gilbane Building Co., Providence, R.I., has turned an ongoing project at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston into a hands-on learning experience for Wentworth students, according to www.constructiondive.com.
During Gilbane Building's construction of a new 75,000-square-foot building for engineering, innovation and the sciences, students have amassed 4,500 learning hours through bi-weekly site tours, guest lectures in classrooms and evening lectures about construction and design topics. According to Wentworth officials, the company also has made its staff available to discuss real-world applications for topics the students are learning at the technical institute.
"Gilbane Building's willingness to share their time and expertise to connect real-world situations from this building's construction to our classroom curriculum has added a new dimension to student learning," says Jack Duggan, chair of Wentworth Institute of Technology's department of civil engineering and technology.
Construction education, whether part of a traditional four-year degree program or career and technical training, typically includes involvement from the local construction and design community. Students who complete construction education programs influenced by such communities have experienced post-graduation success, including recent graduates of the University of Florida's M.E. Rinker Sr. School of Construction Management. When students who graduated in 2017 were surveyed, all respondents stated they had found employment within one month of graduation, and the average annual salary reported was more than $60,000.
