The North Carolina Office for Historically Underutilized Businesses (NC HUB) has partnered with the HUB coordinators at UNCG (Tony Phillips), Winston Salem State University (Brenda Fulmore) and North Carolina A&T State (James Griffin) as well as corporate partners to launch the North Carolina Contractors College for the Triad region.
This 10-week program will be held on the campus of UNCG – in the UNCG Police Building – from September 13 through October 4, 2016, and then will move to the campus of Winston-Salem State for the remainder of the course.
With the passing of the Connect NC Infrastructure Bond in May 2016, the Piedmont-Triad region will receive nearly $360 million dollars in new construction and renovation projects. The direct economic impact includes creation of more than 2,000 jobs and construction income of more than $100 million. Indirectly the region will experience job creation in the supply sector of the construction industry with potential for an additional 1,000 new jobs and more than $45 million in new income for workers.
The NC Office of Historically Underutilized Businesses has a mission “to promote economic opportunities for historically underutilized businesses in state government contracting and procurement that will foster their growth and profitability.”
The Triad Region Contractors College is part and parcel of UNCG’s mission of inclusion, says Tony Phillips, UNCG’s Historically Underutilized Businesses coordinator. “We play a part in making sure all have opportunity.”
Through the NC Contractors College, the HUB Office has partnered with industry leaders from across the state to provide cutting-edge training for HUB firms to help them prepare for success in the modern era of construction. During this unique course, HUB business owners in attendance will increase their basic knowledge in the following areas: project management and productivity, public construction processes, marketing and business development, project scheduling, bidding, digital documentation, contracts, law and ethics and purchasing.
The NC Contractors College will help build the capacity of HUB construction firms by facilitating specific contracting opportunities – making capital project coordinators aware of the specific qualifications and past performance of HUB firms so that HUBs will be invited to bid many of the informal and direct contracts.
Repost from Campus Weekly
Visual: Tony Phillips
