Career Connect Washington funding will spur growth of CWU’s construction management, allied construction degree programs
ELLENSBURG — The College of Education and Professional Studies (CEPS) at Central Washington University is looking to make an even greater impact on the state’s construction industry with the help of $160,000 in Career Launch enrollment funding from Career Connect Washington, administered by the Washington Student Achievement Council.
The one-year funding package, approved last month, will support CWU’s Allied Construction Degrees, which align with Career Connect Washington’s (CCW) goal to ensure that 60% of young adults in the state’s class of 2030 participate in a Career Launch program — programs that combine high-quality, paid on-the-job experience, such as internships and registered apprenticeships, with classroom learning. Career Launch programs also help employers connect with young adults and students in the K-12 system, community and technical colleges, and at four-year institutions.
Due to a growing need for skilled labor in Washington’s construction industry, CWU chose to focus its application on the construction industry, anchored around construction management and allied construction degrees. CWU was approved for the Career Launch Endorsement in April 2024, making the program eligible for Career Launch enrollment funding through WSAC.
As CEPS Dean Sathy Rajendran explained, the field currently has a wide range of high-wage occupations that employers are unable to fill on a consistent basis.
“We want to see even more students gain real-world, paid working experience before they graduate,” he said. “With our expert faculty and the strong relationships we have built with our industry partners, we will be able to train more workforce-ready students than our competitors. Our goal is to be the top choice for allied construction degree graduates, including construction management, in the entire state — especially in Eastern Washington.”
Rajendran said CWU plans to anchor the program around the emerging needs of the construction industry, seeking to attract students from related programs in occupational safety and health, information technology management, engineering technologies, business administration, public health and others.
He and his team have coined the phrases “Allied Construction Degrees” and “Allied Construction Careers” for their marketing and recruitment campaign. They will be doing more intentional outreach to specific students with a goal of increasing diversity in the profession.
Allied construction careers encompass a wide range of professions and occupations in the construction industry. These include occupational safety and health professionals, engineers, risk managers, claims managers, financial officers, accountants, human resource professionals, IT professionals, administrative professionals, project managers and others who work collaboratively with construction managers to deliver comprehensive construction services and complete construction projects.
“Instead of being just one program, we plan to use the construction industry as a way to tie all of these different areas together,” Rajendran said.
Dr. Warren Plugge, program coordinator for the BS in Construction Management program, added that CWU is also meeting a crucial need in the industry.
“Allied construction degrees are essential to provide top construction managers and constructors key personnel with specified construction skills to solve daily construction applications and problems,” he said. “These professionals keep projects and companies within budget and on schedule to meet the client's specifications and needs while expanding the capabilities of the construction industry.”
Hands-on experience helps CWU students get a good start on their construction trades careers.