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WNC helps Carson City construction students build a bright future

Josh Bowden just finished his freshman year in WNC’s construction program. One of his most memorable projects: he and his classmates fabricated a shed.

Josh Bowden just finished his freshman year in WNC’s construction program. One of his most memorable projects: he and his classmates fabricated a shed.
Photo by Faith Evans.

By Faith Evans

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

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Chanden Tolbert and Josh Bowen agree: the construction management degree at Western Nevada College is setting them on the right path.
Bowen is going into his sophomore year with WNC, and Miles Construction recently hired him as a project engineer. Tolbert graduated on Tuesday. She’s a classified aide at Coleville High School, but she’s soon starting a new job as a pre-construction coordinator with Metcalf Builders.
“I believe, honestly, that my success was due to the caring nature of the instructors, the professors, the communication,” Tolbert said.
Better yet, employers agree with her and Bowen.
Cary Richardson, president of Miles Construction and a member on WNC’s advisory board for construction management, says he likes how well-rounded the program is.
“We need individuals who present very well, who can write very well, who can create packages for request for proposals,” he said. “You have to have these things that people don’t typically relate to the construction industry.”
Bowen said he has been pleasantly surprised with how management-focused WNC is, compared to other schools that emphasize engineering. He likes the hands-on experience over the number crunching.
One class that stands out to him is his blueprinting course.
“I never even knew how to read a blueprint. So that really helped,” he said. “As soon as I started with Miles, that was one of the first things they handed me – a big stack of blueprints.”

en Tolbert graduated from WNC with her degree in construction management.

 

Tolbert agrees. She took a challenging internship course, a program requirement, and spent a month in Arizona with MGC Contractors.
“My internship was instrumental in giving me the confidence and the experience I need to feel comfortable going into this new career,” she said. “I’m a 40-year-old woman going into the construction industry.”
On the employer end, that confidence and energy is valuable. Richardson said he likes to see WNC students quickly become productive members of his team, and hiring students and graduates is a great way to fill employee shortages.
His advice to employers: “Don’t wait until these students are graduates. Get them while they’re in the program, whether that’s an internship or part-time job,” he said.
Tolbert, Bowen, and Richardson all expressed a hearty “thank you” to WNC’s construction program, for setting employers and students up for success.
WNC is hosting three drive-through commencement ceremonies for its 2022 spring graduates. Carson City students celebrated on Monday and Tuesday, and Fallon students will graduate Thursday.

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