As finishing touches are put on the college’s new $1.4 million Construction Training Center (CTC) in Oshkosh, students in the Construction Management Technology (CMT) program recently took delivery of a valuable contribution to the training job site.

This week, a prefabricated modular unit was transported from The Boldt Company’s prefabrication facility and lifted into place on the FVTC worksite. The new project trailer is 13’6” x 30’ by 11’ and weighs just over 20,000 pounds.

Students are particularly proud of this addition because in the weeks leading up to delivery they worked at Boldt’s modular construction center to help build the unit. It was an invaluable opportunity for students to work side by side with professionals in their field.

“It was nice to be able to work so closely with the people at Boldt. I felt comfortable asking questions and learning so many new things,” student Elizabeth O’bday says.

“Partnering with Boldt to build our field office was a great experience. I learned a lot, from looking at plan sheets to putting it all together, while getting a better understanding of the different components and materials used,” student Jalon Parker explains.

The hands-on experience also give them a real-world example of the future of modular construction, where structures are built in a controlled indoor environment to minimize the impact of weather and increase safety, quality, and efficiency.

“Boldt was an early leader in prefabricated construction during the pandemic with our STAAT MOD^® units,” says Ben Bruns, executive vice president and leader of the company’s modular operations. “Since then, we have seen massive potential in industrialized construction which also impacts how we train and mentor our next generation of skilled labor.”

For FVTC, the relationship with Boldt has been key to developing the  college's CMT program.

“Above the benefits of the working relationship, the students are experiencing the fabricated, modular, side of the commercial construction industry,” says Rich Cass, department chair of the CMT program. “This is a rising process in the industry that none of our students have experienced before.”

The new Construction Training Center will allow students to construct and reuse a one-story, 1,000+ square foot mock building each semester. About 2.6 acres of college-owned property on Waupun Road in Oshkosh was developed to create the new training facility which includes a 5,000-square-foot building to store the reusable materials and equipment.

In addition to Boldt, several other regional firms have donated labor and materials to the project including:

• Faith Electric
• Tweet Garot
• Crafts Roofing
• Midwest Construction Materials
• Muza Metals
• MathFab
• L&W
• HJ Martin
• Quick Transport

While students began using the training lab this semester, the college will host a celebration and ribbon-cutting for the new facility during the fall semester.

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Check out the photo gallery below. All photos are courtesy of  Graham Washatka of Graham Images.

In the News FOX11: Fox Valley Technical College students help build modular unit at $1.4 million job site lab 

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