Roofing Alliance Grants Clemson University Second Round of Funding

Twenty-one construction students signed up for the roofing course, blowing expectations out of the water and showing there is a demand for roofing-based curriculum at the university level.

September 25, 2020

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ROSEMONT, Ill. — The Roofing Alliance, the foundation of the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), announced that funding was approved for Clemson University’s phase two initiative to develop additional classes for a formal roofing certificate program at the college level. In the second year of development, Clemson University's Construction Science & Management (CSM) Department program continues to develop valuable resources for the roofing industry.

With the successful completion and implementation of the first three-credit hour course, the second round of funding will be used to develop two new online roofing courses and to convert the first course into an online format. The deliverable will be a formal Roofing Certificate program to attract potential workforce by educating interested university students about the roofing industry and providing a continuing education opportunity to retain corporate level industry professionals.

The Roofing Certificate program will consist of three, three-credit hour courses (9 credits total). The first course developed and implemented in phase one of this study was a three-credit roofing introductory course specific to the roofing industry. The first course, offered in spring 2020, was a big success with 21 students (both graduate and undergraduate) enrolled, 16 Roofing Alliance member companies participating in the form of in-person guest lectures and 90-plus companies involved in donating the material for developing the content for this course.

The Roofing Alliance funds research studies, projects and initiatives every year that address both the current and future needs of the roofing industry. Seeing that the construction industry continues to face the predominant challenge of a declining workforce, Clemson University submitted a second funding request to develop and implement the roofing certificate program. Led by Dr. Dhaval Gajjar, a professor in the CSM department, who is passionate about developing curriculum to help students gain knowledge about roofing including technical insights, industry overview and potential career paths.

“Along with developing the online certificate program, the study also proposes an analysis on various economic factors such as salary, benefits and career advancement within the roofing industry,” said Gajjar. “This is due to the important contributing factors that influence the career choice of younger generations. These are the factors the industry needs to better understand if it wishes to attract and maintain a talented workforce.”

For more information on Roofing Alliance funding projects, student competition and overall information about the Roofing Alliance contact Bennett Judson, the Roofing Alliance’s executive director, at bjudson@roofingalliance.net or visit www.roofingalliance.net.

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