Take Your Career in Construction to the Next Level

Construction Education

Construction U Education

ABC Wisconsin offers comprehensive education programs for our members designed to support and grow construction professionals from the apprentice through the experienced contractor. Construction U education programs are designed to make a great impact on your team, your projects, and accelerate your career in the industry.

Construction U offers a wide variety of craft and professional development education in a variety of formats. Whether it is in-person, online, or a customized in-house education experience, we have something that meets the needs and budgets of our members. Please contact our Education Department at 800-236-2224 or 608-244-5883 for more information on any of the classes listed within our program.

Course Overviews

Field Crew & Support Team

Communication Skills: For You & Your Crew

Who Should Attend:

  • Field workers
  • Rising leaders & key personnel in team culture
  • Administrative professionals
  • Entry Level Workers & Apprentices
  • People interested in enhancing their communication skills

Mastering communication and interpersonal skills are an essential in the success of projects. Construction projects follow a chain of communication from one person to the next, and from one party to another. With strong communication skills and workplace relationships, you can avoid delays, rework, and costly misunderstandings. Communication Skills was designed to enhance communication and improve teamwork which ultimately impacts your project success.

What You Will Learn:

  • Understanding your role as a trainer, role-model, and mentor
  • Recognizing communication & behavior styles in yourself and others
  • Explore active listening techniques and recognize the barriers
  • Discuss the importance of feedback and identify successful techniques for giving and receiving it
  • Understand the impact of professionalism on the job site with peers, supervisors, and clients

*This course counts for 7 hours of Unpaid Related Instruction (URI)!

November 1, 2024, Professional Development Center, ABC of Wisconsin, 5330 Wall St., Madison, WI
Course Session Time:  7:30a.m. – 3:00p.m.
Registration Fee
$200 Members; Refreshments and lunch will be provided.
Instructor: Dan Paulson, InVision Development International, LLC

Entry Level & Middle Management

Construction Operations – From Field to Office

Who Should Attend:

  • Project Managers
  • Project Supervisors
  • Crew Leaders / Foreman transitioning to next role

In the evolving world of construction, moving from fieldwork to the office can be a big adjustment. Transitioning to this new role may require a new set of skills and a different set of abilities. ABC of WI has developed a course that will help those in this transition phase learn a new set of skills that are required to be successful in this role.

This full four-day course gives the transitioning worker an opportunity to develop their skills, share experiences, and ask questions from industry experts that will set them up for success in their new role.

Course Session Time: 8:00a.m. – 3:00p.m.
Where: Professional Development Center, ABC of Wisconsin, 5330 Wall St., Madison, WI
Registration Fees: $1,000 for the first person, $850 for each additional person from the same company OR $325 for individual classes

COURSE OVERVIEW
DAY 1: PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN CONSTRUCTION – OCTOBER 22, 2024

Instructor: Lee Hill, Koppers, Inc.
In the project management field, there are large differences between managing teams and projects in a technical or office environment vs. leading projects in the construction world. In the session, we will dive into the specifics of what it takes to lead, manage, negotiate, and successfully thrive in the construction project industry.

DAY 2: Risk Assessment & Insurance – October 29, 2024

Instructors: Diana Schmidt, Jay Zahn, & Ken Alderden, Hausmann Group
Claims for damage to property or persons often arise in connection with ongoing or completed construction projects. Transitioning leaders need to understand insurance, bonds, and establishing a safety culture to help minimize their claim risks. This session will provide an understanding of the world of construction insurance including underwriting, decision making, and financial analysis. Attendees will discuss the key concepts of what drives insurance costs and how to manage his or her Worker’s Compensation Experience Mod as well as other emerging risks contractors face today.

DAY 3: Understanding Financials – November 5, 2024

Instructor: John Schwab
Understanding financial statements is essential to the short term and long-term success of construction companies. This course will remove the complexity of their financial statements that will drive making informed business decisions, help quickly and easily identify areas that need attention, provide insight into the operations, improve predictability, and enable greater management of cash flow.

DAY 4: Preventing Litigation – November 12, 2024

Instructor: Howard “Buck” Barker
Lawsuits and legal conflicts are a legitimate concern for anyone working in construction. Through the use of real-life case studies, attendees will understand how to identify construction and design practices that cause litigation and how to avoid an escalation of legal actions. This interactive session will provide tools and procedures for assessing a threat when it arises and remedying it before lawyers are involved.

Upper Management

Business Transitions

Whether you are toying with the idea of exiting the business in the next few years or are 10 years away, it is never too early to start planning; it certainly can be too late! This course was designed for business owners to evaluate their leadership team, current operations and financial position and build strategic exit plans to help maximize their reward for years of hard work and effort.

Who Should Attend:

  • Owners and leaders wanting to strengthen and increase the value of the business
  • Current owners considering exiting the business in the next 10 years
  • Business leaders looking to buy into their firm or looking to acquire a firm

What You Will Learn:

  • Discover how the entire process of selling or transitioning your business works
  • Learn how strategies you deploy now will increase selling price even ten years from now
  • Learn how to maximize the legacy you spent decades building by readying your leadership team to run your company when you’re gone

 

October 17-18, 2024, ABC of Wisconsin, 5330 Wall St., Madison, WI
Course Session Time:  8:00a.m. – 3:00p.m.
Registration Fee: 
 $499 Members

Become an ABC Education Partner!

To learn more about this opportunity to gain brand awareness and exposure at Construction U education events contact the Director of Education, Brandi Davis.

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