At Gilbane, we take great pride in “strengthening our bench”, not only for our company, but for the overall construction industry. With this mantra in mind, Gilbane staff returned to the classroom last Fall to teach at the University of Connecticut (UConn). Gilbane’s Peter Adamowicz, Michael Lombardi, and Ginger Chicos became guest lecturers at the UConn Civil and Environmental Engineering Department’s “Principles of Construction” course taught by Assistant Professor, Dr. Jin Zhu.
The objective of this introductory course is to provide students with an entry-level understanding of various construction elements, including processes and procedures, contracts, delivery methods, scheduling, cost estimation, controls and safety issues. Our Gilbane guest lecturers have been offering students insight on the latest construction methods, trends and examples in estimating, scheduling and managing changes and disputes.
Mentoring students is not a new concept to Gilbane. The Connecticut office has a long-standing and respected internship program where students are assigned to specific Gilbane projects across the state. As interns, they are immersed in the field and given hands-on experience that covers all construction aspects and phases. Committing our Gilbane leaders to share their knowledge with students complements the already-revered program and broadens our impact on the industry.
“Growth, in any capacity, is a central component to our Gilbane culture. Doing our part to improve the educational growth of the workforce is as important as, and directly connected to, the financial growth and wellbeing of the industry” stated John Hawley, Connecticut Business Unit Leader. “We are very proud of our construction partnership with UConn and pleased to extend that in the classroom and to work with Professor Zhu and her students,” added Hawley.
