Michael Godoy helped design a 140-acre subdivision in Fredericks, Md., this month.
Not one that will be built. He was part of a University of North Florida student team that competed in a national construction management competition.
Godoy wants to go into homebuilding.
The competition, though, is one of the few lessons targeting residential construction he’ll have before he graduates in May. But, for students after Godoy, it will be different.
The university received a grant this month to start a residential tract for its construction project management program.
The National Association of Home Builders’ charitable foundation awarded the school $100,000 to develop the new tract, with a partial match of $40,000 from the Northeast Florida Builders Association.
Only one school in the U.S. per year is selected by NAHB for the award, which is to be distributed over a four-year period.
“It’s a big honor for us,” said Maleg Malek, chairman of UNF’s Department of Construction Management.
Support from NEFBA, local industry leaders and UNF administration contributed to the success, he said.
The grant means the college will be able to add two or three elective classes on residential construction. Today, UNF only offers one.
The courses are still being designed, but land development; residential structures, materials and equipment; and residential safety and codes are among the topics Malek is considering.
The timing for new training is good for Northeast Florida’s homebuilding industry.
The recession that cut Northeast Florida’s homebuilding workforce in half also downsized construction project managers — and training programs for them.
With homebuilding’s rebound, Malek’s inbox is now flooded with email from builders looking to hire students.
“Everyone is overwhelmed by the quantity of work that’s there,” he said.
David Hacker, owner of Construction Specialties of North Florida and a UNF advisory board member, first brought up the idea of the grant.
When UNF applied for it, Hacker lobbied for matching funds from NEFBA.
Northeast Florida’s homebuilding industry needs managers, especially in estimating and purchasing, he said.
“The average age of the construction superintendent is 55 years old, so there’s a huge gap,” Hacker said.
But, most UNF project management students today go into commercial construction, not residential.
Commercial construction appeals to students who want to build “the biggest and baddest thing they can,” Hacker said — bridges, highways, industrial plants.
Residential, though, can be a more satisfying choice.
The projects are less expensive and turn over more quickly than their commercial counterparts. Students are able to graduate and manage the construction of a house in a much shorter time.
Also, residential construction can be a more stable lifestyle, said Hacker.
Godoy, who formerly worked in commercial construction, agreed.
“When you change projects, you can stay local,” Godoy said. “But if you go into commercial, they’ll relocate you. You could end up working in Europe or Dubai.”
Adding extra courses to UNF’s construction program will better prepare students for their jobs.
Before then, it’ll help them to compete in NAHB’s annual Residential Construction Management Competition.
It’s a place where students are sized up not only by judges, but by hiring managers from top homebuilding companies. Teams from schools that have received the grant typically stand out.
“We’re doing a residential competition, but right now our classes are geared towards commercial.” Godoy said. “With the new residential program, we would have the classes to support it.”
Members of Northeast Florida’s homebuilding industry help the students prepare for the competition. And, they help in other ways, offering guest speakers for classes, site visits and internship opportunities.
In the past, some even sponsored residential homebuilding courses, said Ben Cashen, a manager for David Weekley Homes in Northeast Florida.
But during the recession, everyone pulled back.
“I think the grant is going to help students tremendously,” Cashen said. “We can reinvigorate those programs and improve the quality of graduates.”
The residential track can help students define their career direction while they are still in school. And, it can help builders recruit the most interested candidates.
“When they graduate, they have prepared themselves to enter the industry and it’s based on their true desires,” Cashen said.
If the four-year grant produces better hires for builders, it’s likely the program would attract long-term sponsorship from the companies who stand to benefit, Hacker said.
UNF can re-apply for the grant at the end of four years, but the most sustainable model is industry support.
With builders already strongly behind UNF today, there’s a good chance that will happen.
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