Maricopa business provides construction-related courses and programs

Maricopa resident Lupe Carbajal is helping to raise the educational level of construction workers worldwide.

Carbajal is the majority owner and one of the founders of the online educational company ConstructNet International.

The company started in 2003, when the Director of Business Development at the Del E. Webb School of Construction at ASU began discussions with Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico’s premier private university, on how to combine the construction industry’s menu of education, training services and products.

From this discussion an idea was born to provide the courses and products online to reach more people and to be able to work around the schedules of folks already working in the construction industry.

Just five years later, ConstructNet International provides a broad menu of online and classroom-based courses and programs ranging from construction management for professional development and continuing education, to building skills and competencies for technicians and crafts people.

“People in the construction industry don’t typically have the time to go to school; these classes afford them the convenience to improve their skill set,” Carbajal said.

One of the more popular classes that Carbajal’s organization offers is called Construction English for the Spanish Speaker.

This class teaches Spanish speakers the English necessary to be better construction workers.

“Of the 11 million construction workers three million are Hispanic nationals, and 85 percent of those speak no English,” Carbajal said.

Carbajal added that the program also brings the students in for a quick run down course on how to use a computer.

“Many of these people have never used a computer before and need some basic training before they can take the classes,” Carbajal said.

The English class, as well as all other courses offered through Carbajal’s company, are based online and self-paced.

Currently these classes are not offered for credit, but Carbajal is currently looking for a university in the United States to partner up with and offer a degree track in construction management. “We hope we can have a construction management certification program in 2009,” Carbajal said.

Even with the slowdown in the construction industry, Carbajal said his company is experiencing growth. “What you see when there is an economic slowdown is more people returning to school to further their education.”

For more information visit the ConstructNet Website.

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