KidsMatter offers summer course in construction management for students

The KidsMatter Springboard Summer Series is adding a new course for high school students this summer in construction management and related trades.

Participants will enroll in a course for college credit through the College of DuPage, which includes classroom learning, job shadowing and field experience in a variety of trades.

The course runs from June 3 to July 25, 2024. On Monday and Wednesday mornings, students will be at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn and on Thursday mornings students will meet at PowerForward DuPage for breakfast and a short presentation and then go by bus to a variety of locations for field experiences.

Students will be introduced to construction management as a project delivery system emphasizing the roles and responsibilities of construction managers, contractors, subcontractors, owners and design professionals and how they relate to each other.

The course covers the fundamentals of project administration from preconstruction planning to project closeout through the study and review of case studies.

Topics include an overview of cost estimating, meetings, project safety and scheduling. Students will receive three hours of college credit and a variety of job shadowing and field experiences in the trades, architecture, and construction management.

This program is funded by the Bosch Community Fund, Nicor Gas, Bulley & Andrews, Sunbelt Rentals Inc., Power Forward DuPage, and other generous partners.

The program is a collaboration between KidsMatter, College of DuPage, Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce Team B2B, Naperville Unit District 203, Indian Prairie Unit District 204, and key partners in the construction and trades industry.

Students may learn more and apply for the program at www.kidsmatter2us.org/springboard-series.

Thanks to support from community partners, there is no fee for the program or for course books and materials.

“We are thrilled to be participating in this initiative as it will allow these students to collectively learn about the various construction trades and more importantly, outline the career potential that lies within each one,” said Karyn M. Charvat, executive director of PowerForward DuPage.

“We are excited to add this new program to the Summer Springboard Series to give students a chance to explore another growing career option in addition to health care,” said Nina Menis, CEO and executive director of KidsMatter.