PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s construction management program has grown to 391 students this semester, up from 192 seven years ago. More than 100 first-year and transfer students joined the program this year. The program’s construction lab gives students practical experience on a two-story commercial building and a section of highway. Students apply classroom skills such as surveying, installing utilities, coordinating on-site work and meeting deadlines. Senior Kira Goldbach said she values learning by doing rather than spending all her time in lectures. The hands-on work is one way the program connects coursework to the demands of construction jobs. UW-Platteville established construction management as a standalone bachelor’s degree in 2020. Previously, students studied it as an emphasis within the industrial technology management degree. Program coordinator Gretchen Bockenhauer, who graduated from the program, said industry partners have helped support its growth. More than 100 companies recruit students from the program. Maurie Mueller, a superintendent with construction firm JP Cullen, said the program’s growth was encouraging and described construction as a rewarding career. The program is training students for an industry that needs more workers. A Deloitte report published in November 2025 projected that engineering and construction would need nearly 500,000 additional workers in 2026 to meet demand.