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Bringing On-the-Job Training to the Classroom
Manufactured construction is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the construction industry. Like building LEGOs® at a much larger scale, manufactured construction involves building sections of buildings at a manufacturing facility and then moving and assembling these sections on site. In response to the growing demand in the manufactured construction industry, a $9.9 million TAACCCT grant funded the TRAMCON consortium, comprised of four public Florida community colleges, industry associations, Florida CareerSource workforce investment boards, and local employers.
Through the program, students can receive several levels of certification through the Manufacturing Skill Standards Certification, National Center for Construction Education and Research, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Students attend classes for three semesters, followed by three months of on-the-job training and one semester of supervised training (1). At Santa Fe College, classes are structured such that classroom learning and testing is done in the morning, followed by hands-on work after lunch. The emphasis on on-the-job training and hands-on work is paying off: several students have already been gainfully employed in the field (2).
“We are attractive to students who aren’t the ‘traditional student’—the kind who maybe couldn’t do well with book work or couldn’t afford tuition.” (3)
—Melissa Stabel, TRAMCON spokesperson at Santa Fe College
Open Educational Resources (OER)
Find and use FREE Open Educational Resources available on SkillsCommons.
Additional Project Information
- Website: Miami-Dade College TRAMCON page
- Press:
- Report: TRAMCON Career Pathway Evaluation (conducted by third-party evaluator, Thomas P. Miller and Associates)
TRAMCON at Polk State College [interviews with Mary Beth Shapiro, recruitment and completions coach, Polk State College TRAMCON and Bill Masters, program coordinator, Polk State College TRAMCON]
Additional Videos
What is Manufactured Construction?