Union, college team up

By Scott Van Voorhis   |   Thursday, July 17, 2008  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Business & Markets  

One of the region’s largest construction unions is working with a Hub college to provide its members with extra training - in management, that is.

Starting this fall, members of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters can earn an associate’s degree from Wentworth Institute of Technology.

The course work will give the veteran union carpenters the broader managment skills needed to move into supervisory roles in the industry. Construction supervisors can earn anywhere from $79,000 to $106,000 a year.

While the union could end up losing a few members, it is betting that it will ultimately gain by helping train a new wave of managers with union experience. Many construction industry managers are coming right out of school, with little or no experience with organized labor, union officials said.

But more importantly, the new program is part of a larger and ongoing effort by the labor organization to provide an array of new opportunities for its members, from trade training programs to a college degree.

“We consider our training programs to be among the best in the industry, in the country,” said Mark Erlich, executive secretary-treasurer of the New England Regional Council. “Now members will be able to take their skills, knowledge and commitment to reach an even higher level in the industry.”

The program kicks off in the fall with as many as 48 carpenters expected to sign up for the two-year program in construction management. Classes are held one weekend a month.

For Wentworth, which already has an extensive construction management program, the partnership with a local union is a first-of-its-kind initiative.

The college is now exploring similar partnerships with other unions and companies. “It’s kind of a new direction for Wentworth,” said Joan Dolamore, dean of lifelong learning.

 

 

http://www.necarpenters.org/  

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1107577