ForConstructionPros.com

For every Perini Corp. or Turner Construction Co., there are thousands of family-owned construction businesses that have passed professional industry methods and standards down from generation to generation. The same is true for the $6 billion demolition industry. There are few publicly-owned demolition giants; the vast majority of demolition professionals operate within private, family-owned businesses.

The question arises: how do we recruit and train the next generation of professionals when younger family members may not be interested in following in their parents' footsteps? For the general construction industry, the answer has been through higher education. Today, there are scores of universities with distinguished construction management majors whose graduates are in great demand. Now it's time for the demolition industry to catch up with what the general construction industry has done so well - groom tomorrow's leaders.

An impressive step was taken five years ago when Purdue University introduced the nation's first demolition and reconstruction specialization, offered through its Building Construction Management Department in the College of Technology. Its courses teach practical, real-world skills to aspiring demolition professionals, as well as those who wish to bring additional value to their position on a general construction firm team.

The program has been enthusiastically supported by the National Demolition Association, the leading global trade organization for the industry. The goal of the association, as well as Purdue University, is for the demolition specialization to become the template for other university construction management programs in the U.S. and globally.

Experience-driven education
While there have been hundreds of textbooks on the topic of construction management, surprisingly, there has been no single source of basic demolition knowledge, best practices and standards - until now. This year, Purdue will debut the nation's first demolition textbook specifically targeted to university use.