How UW-Madison is preparing students for the future of construction

The construction industry continues to enjoy a period of unprecedented growth, driven by increased population, urbanization and demands for infrastructure modernization. In the United States, total construction spending routinely exceeded $2 trillion annually in recent years, reflecting strong growth even in the face of disruptions from geopolitical factors and constraints on the supply chain.

While the industry continues to grow and contractors tackle more complex projects like data centers and large-scale healthcare complexes, it also faces a persistent challenge: a growing deficit in skilled labor. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the age of the average construction craft worker remains in the mid-40s— resulting in a shortfall of hundreds of thousands of workers each year. Why? As these experienced workers retire or transition out of the industry, fewer new workers are pursuing employment in the trades, leaving the construction industry increasingly unable to replenish its workforce.

At the same time the construction industry is grappling with workforce challenges, it also is reckoning with the environmental impact of construction activities. Recent estimates from organizations such as the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Energy Agency indicate that the built environment accounts for approximately 37% of global carbon emissions, more than one-third of global energy consumption, and significant impacts in material extraction and solid waste generation. In many regions, construction and demolition activities generate 30% to 40% of total solid waste, and the sector is responsible for nearly 50% of global raw material consumption, including aggregates, minerals and timber.

These converging pressures raise a fundamental question: How can the industry increase construction output while simultaneously reducing its environmental impacts and addressing workforce constraints? This challenge underscores the urgent need to improve construction methods along three key dimensions.

First, the construction industry must adopt innovative technologies. It is still common to observe projects relying on paper-based drawings and fragmented communication processes, despite the availability of advanced tools for digital coordination. Expanding the use of sensing technologies, wearable devices and visualization platforms like building information modeling and digital twins, can significantly enhance productivity and decision-making at both the worker and project levels to help maximize output in the face of labor challenges.

Second, the industry must develop and widely adopt more sustainable construction processes, including low-carbon and recycled materials, improvements in energy and water efficiency, and waste reduction through better design integration, constructability and change management practices.

Third, to address workforce limitations, the industry must accelerate adoption of prefabrication, modularization, automation, robotics and additive manufacturing (or, 3D printing). These approaches have the potential to fundamentally improve productivity, safety and quality while reducing reliance on scarce on-site labor.

At UW-Madison, we recognize these industry challenges, and we’re taking action so that our graduates can lead industry transformation. Our Construction Engineering and Management Program offers 36 total credits of construction-related coursework that prepares its undergraduate students to contribute to industry advancements from day one.

Students can pursue the Construction Engineering and Management option by taking just nine credits—allowing them to tailor their education to their interests and career goals. They can learn about and develop expertise in technologies such as:

• Sustainable and low-carbon construction
• Modularization and prefabrication
• Advanced construction technologies like automation, robotics, wearables and digital systems)
• Data-driven project management and decision-making

Learn more about our Construction Engineering and Management Program and the impact its had on our students by exploring the undergraduate student profiles of Sarah Gerarden, Elyse Miramontes, and Colin Schiesl.

Awad Hanna is the BOLDT Company Professor and chair of the Construction Engineering and Management Program within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is founder and faculty advisor of the Construction Club engineering student organization and directs the UW-Madison Construction and Materials Support Center in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. He is an acclaimed thought leader in the intersection of productivity at the labor, project and organizational level.