Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls launched a construction management degree this fall to address a workforce shortage in the field. It recently got a financial boost from the Beavers Charitable Trust, a nonprofit focused on the construction industry, which donated $500,000.
Neslihan Alp, dean of the College of Engineering, Technology and Management, created the construction management program, which she said is really needed in the region.
"When we talk with the construction companies, they told us that they are looking for people who can manage projects, who can do scheduling, who can do estimating, who can deal with people, who can travel to different work sites," she said. "So they are looking for managers."
Alp said the only similar degree in the state is Oregon State University's construction engineering management program, but that falls under engineering, rather than management.
Students at Oregon Tech can earn a Bachelor’s degree or a minor to prepare them for careers in the construction industry.
The program offers two tracks: one focused on heavy construction, such as roads, bridges and tunnels, and another on general construction, such as commercial and residential buildings.
Courses include Construction Law, Structural Analysis & Design and Sustainable Construction.
The money from Beavers Charitable Trust will be used to provide scholarships to students in the heavy construction track and to hire a director to run the program.
"There are a lot of reasons for this aging of the industry: Poor business climate, industry down-sizing, unstable, mobile workforce, etc.," the Beavers website reads. "But a far more insidious reason is that too many young people do not view the heavy construction business as a viable alternative for career development. That spells trouble for the long-term survival of the industry."
About 10 students are currently enrolled in the program. Alp hopes to increase that tenfold over the next couple of years and notes that many scholarships are available, as well as required internships.
She sees potential for graduates to find good jobs and fill a crucial workforce shortage.
"Hopefully, our students will be able to serve the state and do great things," she said. "I believe that the program is going to grow so fast that we have to make sure that we have enough faculty who can teach these courses."
Her next task is to create an undergraduate artificial intelligence degree, which she said will be Oregon's first.
