March 15, 2019

George Brown College and RESCON team up with a new program for residential construction management

As reported in The Star, the employees are happier, the jobs are secure, and the work itself is everywhere you look.

The residential construction industry boasts a wealth of hands-on, challenging and rewarding careers that evolve with the booming market — and it needs talent. To meet the demand, the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) teamed up with George Brown College to develop a certificate program for Residential Construction Management.

The 31-week program — including a paid co-op — prepares students for junior estimator, residential construction manager, project manager and site superintendent roles. Courses are fully informed by some of the biggest players in the industry, and the co-op placements with RESCON members and GTA builders instantly connect grads to employers. The job-placement rate averages a virtually unbeatable 90 per cent.

“If you look at the industry, George Brown probably has more graduates in the construction management field that any other school,” says Andrew Pariser, vice-president at RESCON. “And I would hazard to guess that every single member of RESCON and every single residential builder in the GTA has a George Brown grad.”

Construction careers produce happy workers, Pariser says. A study to be released on March 19 — of which he shares a preview — shows that employees are happier on average in residential construction than other industries.

“People enjoy the fact that (construction careers are) tangible, hands on, they understand what they’re doing and they see the results,” Pariser says. “Another reason is stability. They know it’s unlikely a robot’s going to come in and take their job, or their job is going to be outsourced.

“And construction has a great sense of community. Health and safety has been a priority for over 20 years now and we’re getting better every year.”

The Residential Construction Management program’s small class sizes and hands-on curriculum make for an unparalleled learning environment, says Bill Nichols, professor and co-ordinator at George Brown’s Angelo DelZotto School of Construction Management.

Keep reading in The Star

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