PLATTEVILLE, Wis. (WMTV) – At UW-Platteville, construction management students trade desks for job sites as part of their hands-on education.
“Normally students are out here 14 hours a week,” said Gretchen Bockenhauer, Construction Management Program Coordinator. “And they’re working and building around everything you see behind me.”
That includes everything from residential homes to commercial buildings and even roadwork—giving students exposure to the kinds of jobs they’ll face after graduation. Bockenhauer says it’s all intentional, driven by the needs of the construction industry itself.
“This is kind of driven by our industry partners because they’re like, ‘We want students to be prepared for the field,’” she said.
The program’s strong ties to the field don’t stop at the curriculum. UW-Platteville hosts regular career fairs and networking events—drawing more than 60 companies to their most recent construction-specific fair. Many of those businesses offer internship pipelines and job offers directly to students.
“I’m a graduate of the program myself,” Bockenhauer said. “And to kind of see it go from a time where jobs were very scarce to where it is now where students are getting more than one job offer, which is amazing to see.”
Senior Logan Niesen knows that firsthand. He completed three internships with the same company—and locked in a full-time job more than a year before he graduated.
“I did three years of internships for them,” he said. “I don’t know any of our any of at least the students that I’ve had this with that don’t have at least one full time offer, if not multiple full-time offers.”
The program’s step-by-step approach—from foundational classes to a hands-on capstone project—gave him confidence and clarity about the field.
“We’re seeing them in all the classes and they’re stacking on top of each other,” he said. “And then finally, this is the, this is the end, the capstone course.”
Niesen says it’s not just about getting hired—it’s about building something bigger.
“Yeah, it’s definitely exciting,” he said. “I know I will be a proud alumni of the program and I’m excited to be able to give back as an alumni to continue and grow the program. And I know a lot of my fellow students are also excited to get back to the program.”
The program also takes students beyond the job site through the national ABC Construction Management Competition, where UW-Platteville placed fourth in the country this year, competing against top schools nationwide.
And in a full-circle moment — all of the instructors in the program are UW-Platteville alumni themselves, bringing real industry experience back to the classroom.
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