CIM Program Announces Results of Market Study

As part of the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) 2008-2010 plan, a market study was conducted with the primary objective of estimating the annual demand for program graduates both regionally and by industry segment. The survey was intended to determine the number of graduates that the total target market can absorb per year, evaluate the number of CIM programs the National Steering Committee should support and optional location for each, as well as serve as a feedback mechanism from all contributing associations as to their segments’ specific needs for graduates.

The primary research objectives included:

• Assessing familiarity with the CIM Program
• Understanding hiring plans and practices relative to new college graduates, at a regional level
  
• Understanding the degree of college internship and recruitment efforts across the segments
• Understanding the CIM program graduate hiring plans
• Identifying job functions that employers are most likely to hire CIM graduates into
• Assessing interest in, and potential demand for, an Executive Level Masters Degree through the CIM Program
  

Approximately 200 surveys were conducted via phone and electronically within the following industry segments: cement manufacturers, concrete masonry producers, concrete pipe manufacturers, concrete/restoration contractors, Departments of Transportation and other government agencies, precast concrete producers, prestressed concrete producers, ready mixed concrete producers, other suppliers of the concrete industry, as well as concrete industry trade associations.

With all survey results tabulated, the following conclusions have been made:

• The familiarity with the CIM program is still relatively low within the markets surveyed.
• The prospective growth in CIM graduate employers and respective hiring is significant but may require continued marketing, communications and reinforcement with current and prospective employers, as well as more localized hiring opportunities.
  
• New college graduates consist of approximately 25% of annual FTEs hired, and new hiring is anticipated to be the heaviest in the Mountain, Pacific and South Atlantic regions, at 125%, 122% and 121% of the average across regions.
• Hiring is expected to be the lightest in the New England, West North Central and Mid-Atlantic regions, at 40%, 72% and 80% of the average across regions.
• Job functions that CIM graduates are most likely to be hired into vary by the employer’s business type and include:
  - Nearly 50% of contractors indicated that “project management” is a highly likely job function.
  - Among pipe, precast and pre-stressed concrete producers, “production management” was most commonly considered a highly probable job function.
  - Among cement producers, ready mixed concrete producers and suppliers, “sales” was most commonly considered a highly likely job function.
• The likelihood of those entering into management choosing to pursue an executive level Master’s Degree program through the CIM Program was marginal at best, with the primary reasons (when given), being:
  - Entrance into an MBA program is more likely.
  - The program would have to be offered in such a way as to minimize employee’s absence from the business – Local, evenings, part-time, distance learning.
  - Difficult to give opinion without knowing the curriculum.
  - Affordability (particularly for the smaller companies interviewed).
  

Understanding the importance of supporting educational programs that benefit the industry, Woodland Construction has hired a student from the Concrete Industry Management program. Ian Lane had previously worked at the firm as an intern and joined the firm full-time after his graduation from the program. We asked Ian a few questions about his experiences with the CIM Program and his current position at Woodland.

CIM: What school did you graduate from and in which year?
Ian: I graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 2007.

CIM: What is your current position and responsibilities at Woodland?
Ian: I am currently a project manager at Woodland Construction in Jupiter, Fla. My responsibilities include design and blueprint review, analysis of projects, preparation of construction documents, bidding, negotiations, subcontractor selection, material purchasing, scheduling, project budget and the actual performance of the concrete scope. I am also responsible for supervising crews of up to 50 trade workers. My first year-and-a-half at Woodland, I worked alongside the on-site supervisors to learn the business and got hands-on experience.

CIM: How has the CIM program prepared you for your current job responsibilities?
Ian: The CIM program at MTSU did an amazing job preparing me to enter the concrete construction industry. Not only did it give me great opportunities to get real hands-on learning experiences through the CIM labs, ACI student projects and weekend volunteer work, but it also gave me a solid foundation of knowledge that I was able to build upon as my career progressed here at Woodland. Another great tool that the CIM program has is the summer internships. These are invaluable in the sense that I was able get the experience of working for the summer in the field that I was studying and was also able to get a first-hand look at the demands of the industry.

CIM: What advice would you give to current CIM students?
Ian: Explore all of your options! There are so many interesting and unique job opportunities available for CIM students around the country that they may not be aware of unless they do the research. I have run into numerous people through Woodland, trade shows, etc. that have their own niche carved out in the concrete industry and are looking for people with an education like the one given through the CIM program to jump on board with them.