Would you turn a new hire loose on a jobsite with nothing more than an equipment rental list and trust them to find the most cost-effective solution to complete a job? Absolutely not. This is a job for seasoned professionals. But where do you find seasoned professionals with the necessary experience?

This is where formal training and practical on-the-job experience become critical assets. But what if there was a way to combine the two?

Such was the goal when Phoenix, AZ-based C.S.& W. Contractors Inc. partnered with Arizona State University (ASU) to assist with the horizontal construction curriculum. ASU has experience working with industry to provide real-world experience to students. C.S.&W., a heavy highway contractor also active in aviation projects, landfills, site work, treatment plants and street improvements, proved the ideal partner.

Revamping the curriculum
C.S.&W. Contractors already has its own formalized training programs. "We are training people to be better managers and better leaders, as well as giving them specific skill sets in project management, estimating, operator safety training, computer training, whatever it might be," says Todd Peterson, CEO.

But passing real-world experience on to a classroom of students is more difficult than it might seem. People with long-term experience are often not the best teachers. "I wasn't the perfect choice because I didn't come from 25 or 30 years of horizontal construction. But I have taught before," says Peterson. So he brought in Robert Meyers, C.S.&W.'s vice president, who did have the experience. "As a team, it has worked out really well."