A coalition of trade unions is creating a college that will focus on the construction industry.
The Western States College of Construction plans to operate on 10 campuses in Colorado and Wyoming. It will offer a professional degree program to train students and offer certifications in the skill trade.
The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reports that the program will enable students to graduate debt free and learn on the job while receiving a salary.
Eventually, the school plans to offer associate degrees to graduates through skilled trade apprentice programs. That would include credentials and certifications from regional and national third-party organizations, such as the American Council for Construction Education.
The impetus for the college comes from the Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing Alliance, which is made up of the Rocky Mountain Mechanical Contractors Association and an assortment of labor unions--Plumbers Local 3, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 58 and several local chapters of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
