Download PDFOpen PDF in browserAddressing the Construction Labor Shortage Through Connected Secondary and Post-Secondary Construction Education Pathways: A Descriptive Case Study in Wyoming11 pages•Published: December 11, 2023AbstractDespite a total population under 600,000, Wyoming’s jobs increased by 5,672 positions in 2018. Notably, more than 50% of this job growth was in the construction industry. Until 2019, there were no formal secondary construction education and training programs able to supply the necessary workforce to meet industry needs. Since 2019, Wyoming has been fortunate to build strong construction programs within their high school Career and Technical Education curricula and Community College programs. With the support of the Associated General Contractors of Wyoming, educators at each level have partnered with the University of Wyoming to pilot several collaborative efforts to increase curricular consistency and credit articulation that can culminate in a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management. A unique and major focus of the connected secondary to post-secondary construction education program is that it affords students the ability to exit and rejoin the educational pathway while concurrently gaining construction industry experience. This paper describes two programs piloted across educational levels in Wyoming. The use of the Zoom Meetings and Owl Pro technologies worked well to cultivate educational synergy between the classrooms located at each of the institutions across the state. Thus, the findings are helpful to those interested in connecting secondary and posKeyphrases: College Credit Articulation, Construction Labor Shortage, post-secondary education, secondary education, skills training In: Tom Leathem, Wesley Collins and Anthony J. Perrenoud (editors). Proceedings of 59th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference, vol 4, pages 175--185
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