UW-Platteville designated as Mid-America OSHA education training site

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. (WMTV) - Changes are coming to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and they are aimed at improving construction projects in the long run.

The university is now designated as a Mid-America OSHA Education center training site. This means a higher level of safety training for students entering the construction workforce and for those seeking safety certification.

“Everybody has to work in a safe environment, everyone needs to understand that their actions impact someone else,” Chris Carlson, UW-Platteville Industrial Studies Chair said.

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s goal is improving safety while properly training new workers.

“It’s really important to the industry, because there’s such a shortage of employees in this workforce,” Gretchen Bockenhauer, Lecturer and Co-program Coordinator for UW-Platteville Construction Management said.

This adds to the success they’ve already found. For the last three years, UW-Platteville has used it’s own “construction lab” off the highway to give students hands on experience.

Education in construction goes beyond college years for UW-Platteville. On Oct. 6, the university will host a Construction Career Day for 9-12 graders to network with industry partners and learn what it’s like to be at a job site.