
Construction Management Education
Support employee growth and professional development with Construction U, the premiere construction education program exclusive to ABC members.
Explore construction management
ASSOCIATED BUILDERS AND CONTRACTORS
Construction Management Education
You work hard to build your business. Is the next generation of leaders ready to take on the challenges ahead to keep your business successful? Give them the tools they need by enrolling them in ABC of Wisconsin’s Construction U programs. There are many programs from which to choose, including courses like Emerging Leader, Project Supervision, Project Coordinator, and Construction Foreman over many days, as well as one-day sessions like Foreman Fundamentals, The Construction Team and Critical Skills. Construction U programs are inter-related but are not overlapping. Scroll down to see our current offerings.
Project Supervision Series – 12-Day Program

Critical Skills
This course is for both field persons and office staff who want to enhance soft skills so important for teamwork in construction. This four-part session will cover critical skills such as communication, teamwork, professionalism and productivity. The benefits of this education can be immediate for the company.

Foreman Fundamentals
This course for those who are transitioning to a supervisory/managerial/leadership role in the construction industry. This course provides participants with knowledge they need to understand their new role and to start building their leadership skills.
Four modules over eight hours, including Challenges of the New Foreman; Crew Member to Crew Leaders; The Working Foreman; and The New Leader.

The Construction Team
The Construction Team focuses primarily on a team leader’s approach to construction leadership with an emphasis on the team. It is for construction team members who supervise others, including crew leaders, foremen, project supervisors, office managers and construction executives.
Five modules over eight hours, including Team Builder; Building Team Trust; Team Leader’s Playbook; Train and Mentor; and Your Winning Team.
Project Coordinator Series – 6-Day Program

Project Coordinator Full Series: All six classes
The Project Coordinator is an integral member of the construction team. This person must be organized, detail-oriented, and able to handle project documents, contracts, progress reports, and closeout documents. This program offers project coordinators and office support staff the ability to enhance their skillsets and operational understanding in project life cycles, plans and specifications, organization and team collaboration.
March 16 to April 27, 2023

Project Coordinator Class 1 of 6: Intro to Project Coordination – Jenna Milis
Participants will receive a high-level overview of the construction industry and understand their role on the construction management team.

Project Coordinator Class 2 of 6: Working With Construction Documents – Gretchen Bockenhauer
Through work and review of construction documents, participants will gain an understanding of the requirements for an entire project.

Project Coordinator Class 3 of 6: Communication, Negotiation & Time Management – Mike Somers
Communicating and negotiating with others are keys to achieving outstanding results. This session will explore communication models that positively impact negotiation practices.

Project Coordinator Class 4 of 6: Plan & Spec Reading – Gary Roehrig
Participants will discuss common terminology and symbols used in construction documents and will work through a set of construction plans and specifications.

Project Coordinator Class 5 of 6: Construction Law/Breachless Execution – Josh Levy
This session will discuss the concept of breachless contract and will introduce contract basics and terminology.

Project Coordinator Class 6 of 6: Construction Project Delivery – Jim Bunkelman
This session will help participants discover why projects go wrong, examine the science of production, and learn how to efficiently plan and maintain your projects.
Safety Leader 101 – 6-Day Program

The Safety Leader 101 program provides ABC of Wisconsin member supervisors with building blocks needed to develop high-quality safety supervisors and managers into safety leaders. The program consists of six interactive modules taught by industry leaders, providing the tools to develop and implement safety programs at their company.
February 21 to July 18, 2023

The Construction Foreman
When your craftspeople are ready to become crew leaders, foremen, and supervisors, this is the course for them. They may have all the hands-on skills to do the work on site, but they need supervisory skills. This one-day course will provide them with the education to assist in this new area of responsibility.

The Construction Leader
Those who assume the role of construction leader find it is more than a job. It is a journey of self-exploration that requires preparation and planning. This course is for both field persons and office staff who want to enhance soft skills so important for teamwork in construction. Each of the four, two-hour sessions will cover critical skills such as communication, teamwork, professionalism and productivity. The benefits of this education can be immediate for the company.
Critical Skills – 1-Day Program

Critical Skills
This course is for both field persons and office staff who want to enhance soft skills so important for teamwork in construction. This one-day session will cover critical skills such as communication, teamwork, professionalism and productivity. The benefits of this education can be immediate for the company.
The Profitable Contractor
The Five Secrets to Becoming A Profitable Contractor: You and others have successfully built a construction company, but you’re not making as much money as you think you should. You might be going broke and don’t even know it. Don’t be a part of the contractor’s dilemma. This session will share secrets to independence and start growing your company profitably. Sessions include financial basics, financial KPIs, comp rate basics, budgeting, and revenue recognition.
On-demand online offerings

Construction U On-Demand courses are self-paced and the time required to complete each course will vary, depending on the participant and workbook exercises. In general, participants can plan on roughly between 90 minutes to 2 hours to complete each course. The exception is the 6-hour Navigating the NEC® – Electrical Exam Prep course.
Emerging Leader Series – 12-Day Program
Company Culture and Employee Engagement
Creating a “culture that excels” is a key leadership skill. Engaged employees performing at their best have the greatest impact on company outcomes. This session will cover how to develop a company culture that encourages employees to thrive while bringing their best to work every day.
The Great Leader
Becoming a great leader will result in better performance for the entire company. In this session, participants will learn the leadership skills they need to become top performers and to help others do the same. Topics include construction leader qualities, team leaders, leadership is hard, and the great leader.
The Profitable Contractor
The Five Secrets to Becoming A Profitable Contractor: You and others have successfully built a construction company, but you’re not making as much money as you think you should. You might be going broke and don’t even know it. Don’t be a part of the contractor’s dilemma. This session will share secrets to independence and start growing your company profitably. Sessions include financial basics, financial KPIs, comp rate basics, budgeting, and revenue recognition.
Contract Law/Breachless Execution
Emerging Leaders often deal with disputes. At times these can reach the level of arbitration or litigation. This session will discuss the concept of breachless execution. Topics include contracts & terminology, issues & resolutions, progress billing & the payment process, and performance issues, default, & termination. It will then cover dispute resolution & avoiding disputes. The emphasis will be on best practices each step of the process.
Connecting the Dots Between Branding, Marketing, and Sales
This session addresses the differences between branding and marketing and how they work together to drive customer engagement and, ultimately, sales. We will explore the brands and the steps to create a marketing plan designed to generate new business and strengthen relationships with existing customers. We will also discuss the power of culture in leveraging employee influence to advocate for a company and promote the brand.
Working With Construction Documents*
This program covers documentation throughout the construction process.
4 modules/8 hours – Project Coordinator Track #2 of 5
Instructor: Gretchen Bockenhauer
Audience: Superintendents, project coordinators, assistant project managers, project coordinators, and new project managers
Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, April 13 to April 22, 2021 – 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Central | 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
The Construction Team
This program examines leadership topics focusing primarily on a team approach to construction leadership.
5 modules/10 hours
Instructor: Mike Somers, The Construction Classroom
Audience: Crew leaders, team leaders, foremen, and supervisors
Schedule: Mondays and Wednesdays, April 5 to April 19, 2021 – 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Central | 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern.
Areas of Construction Management
NEW!
On-Demand Virtual Learning
ABC of Wisconsin’s Construction U programs have always focused on providing relevant and actionable content. Based on member requests, in addition to in-person and live online courses, ABC has developed Construction U On-Demand, a new education and training format which provides 24/7 access to several popular self-paced courses. Courses are offered individually, with an option to bundle related topics, such as the Project Delivery Bundle.
Currently, available On-Demand courses include:
- The Value of Time
- Project Setup Through Closeout
- Production, Leadership, & Project Delivery
- Delivering a Profitable Project
- Improving Project Delivery
- Transition to Foreman
- Decision Making
- Communication for the New Leader
- Delegation
- Leading the Difficult Worker
- The Foreman Your Crew Wants to Follow
Every course has a free preview. More titles will be added.
