WITC Construction Classes

7 Mar 2017


Workforce Training

WITC offers construction class in response to industry plea

As part of its 50-year commitment to the communities it serves, WITC-New Richmond is responding to a plea from the construction industry for more skilled workers by creating a course to quickly and specifically meet the need. The college also considered the needs of potential students by offering a short-term technical diploma in the evening, so that students can maintain normal daytime activities.

Construction Essentials is a nine-week, nine-credit evening course available at the WITC-New Richmond campus. These special evening classes teach the knowledge and skills necessary for job success in the construction industry. Students acquire the fundamentals of building design, energy efficiency concepts, construction, layout operation, related mathematics, print reading, estimating and materials of the industry, and more.

This diploma fits well into the technical colleges’ Career Pathway concept, allowing students to continue their education at WITC and apply the nine earned credits to a two-year Residential Construction and Cabinetmaking technical diploma.

The Construction Essentials program is student focused and industry driven, as indicated by the curriculum, which includes print reading, math and construction framing.

Additional features include an approximate cost of $1,400, with books at about $580.

This concentrated focus on construction essentials prepares its students to pursue a career as a construction or carpenter laborer, carpenter assistant or carpentry framer. And according to Wisconsin’s Worknet, June 2016, workers in these areas can garner annual wages anywhere from $20,520 to $30,060.

For more information about this special Construction Essentials class, call Jodi Saliny, WITC-New Richmond admissions, at 800.243.9482, ext 4339.

This year, WITC-New Richmond celebrates 50 years of bringing award-winning education to St. Croix, Polk and Burnett counties. Initially known as District 18, the campus got its start offering health care and adult continuing education classes first in rented offices in downtown New Richmond, and later from mobile classrooms that traveled the district. In 1970, the college built a more permanent building at the current site on South Knowles. District 18 became part of Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in 1972 (then known as District 17); joining the campuses in Ashland, Rice Lake and Superior, and the administrative office in Shell Lake. Today the New Richmond campus offers more than 35 degrees, diplomas and certificates, adult and continuing education classes, through a variety of learning opportunities from face-to-face to online to blended. The campus typically graduates more than 400 students each May/December who have learned careers with hands-on skills and who are destined for success.