Builders join forces with college to boost skills base

A WELL-KNOWN building group has teamed up with a third-level college to invest in its people by developing the skills needed in a difficult construction market.

Ascon Rohcon, together with Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), is preparing for a market upturn by ensuring that graduates coming through the joint partnership Masters programme have the expertise required for the future.

The WIT Ascon Rohcon MSc in Construction Project Management (CPM) is a first in construction executive education in Ireland and is designed to ensure the necessary project management talent to continue delivering successful projects, according to Ascon Rohcon managing director Brendan Barrett.

“Industry, academia and management science have fused to produce this precedent setting innovation in learning,” he said.

“It represents a true investment in the belief that people are our most important asset. This is a good news story; it is an investment in innovation, in people, in the industry and ultimately in the future of Ireland.”

It is a National Qualifications Framework Level 9 programme and is supported by Skillnets, an enterprise-led support body.

The Masters programme is industry-driven and focused, according to CPM programme director John Wall. “This postgraduate programme uses ‘blended learning’, where technology and traditional modes of delivery are effectively merged,” he said.