Boston, MA The Massachusetts Construction Advancement Program (MCAP) and Wentworth Institute of Technology College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPCE) are pleased to announce a new education and training partnership. MCAP and CPCE now offer a tuition reimbursement program for eligible students to enroll in degree, certificate and workforce training programs, both online and on-campus. The tuition reimbursement program is open to all employees of contractor and subcontractor contributors to MCAP.

In the face of the growing regional and national construction industry skilled worker shortage, this innovative MCAP/CPCE partnership squarely responds to this alarming labor trend. The new reimbursement program helps MCAP contributing firms address an immediate need for trained labor and staff. The MCAP/CPCE program acts as an attractive workplace benefit, an enticement to join and stay with a construction company. The education and training subsidy gives eligible MCAP contributors an HR advantage when hiring managers recruit new staff, when company executives try to retain top construction industry talent and when grooming future leaders internally. By offering an appealing education and training incentive, the MCAP/CPCE reimbursement program is on target and aimed squarely at the construction industry labor shortage. Just in time for CPCE’s fall 2016 semester, HR managers now can recruit and retain employees with MCAP’s supplemental reimbursement program, which in turn supports and compliments in-house employee benefit and workforce development activities.

Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz of the Chicago Tribune on 5/31/16 reported that “labor shortages and gluts are part of the industry’s regular cycles, but the construction industry is seeing an extreme cycle right now as pent-up project demand meets a labor force that lost a lot of workers who retired or switched to other industries during the recession. Until the demand comes down or we get more labor, we will see higher prices and longer construction schedules.” These dire conditions apply to Boston and the region too!

Seeking to confront this burgeoning demand for an educated and trained construction workforce for the 21^st century, MCAP eligible contributors and staff can enroll in master’s degree programs, bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, certificate programs and workforce training programs subject to the following requirements;

• Employees of MCAP firms receive a 50% reimbursement of CPCE course tuition;

• Reimbursement of $1,000 for CPCE graduate level courses; and

• Additional MCAP rules and restrictions apply.

Wentworth’s CPCE provides access for adult learners to high quality degree, certificate, and workforce training programs designed for students who are working full time. Wentworth and CPCE serve the educational, training and professional development needs of the architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) communities through established innovative partnerships throughout New England.