West Michigan Construction Institute Blog

Two prominent women in construction - WMCI President Jen Schottke and Grand Rapids Literacy Executive Director Wendy Falb - speak at a WMCI event

WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION WEEK 2023

We're celebrating national women in construction week 2023 by highlighting some of the great west Michigan and national WIC events you can participate in!

West Michigan Construction Institute Jen Schottke poses for a photo in front of the WMCI hard hat wall

Jen Schottke – WMCI President

Get to know WMCI president Jen Schottke. Hear the story about how she got to where she is today and her vision for the future of the construction industry in Michigan.

Photos of the WMCI values that are hung in the entry way to the institute

2022 in Review [by the numbers]

A look back at the people, programs, and partners that made 2022 a great first year! [statistics]

A Commercial Plumber is holding wrench and pipefitting tools

The Top Things to Know About a Commercial Plumbing Career

Learn all about commercial plumbing: the average plumber salary and wages, plumber interests & skills, education, and job duties.

How to Retain Great Construction Employees

With over 41% of the construction workforce projected to retire within the next 10 years, it's more important than ever to employee retention. Here are three ways companies can kee

The Importance of Construction Scaffolding Training

Scaffolding is one of the most common types of equipment you'll find in commercial construction. Which is why it's so important to ensure you're up to date on scaffold safety and e

Photo of a concrete finisher standing in a job site - credit from byf.org

What is it like Working as a Concrete Finisher?

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a trade that has been around longer, or is more essential to the foundation of a building than concrete. Learn more about the aptitudes, skills, da

How to Become a Carpenter

How to become a carpenter Everything you should know if you’re interested in carpentry jobs. So you’ve never been able to ignore that door that’s not closing the way you

Jen Schottke Interview – West Michigan Woman

WMCI president Jen Schottke was interviewed by West Michigan Woman on how we can fill the talent gap by helping more women realize their potential working in construction careers.

Jasmine Weston – Education and Training Manager

We listen to the needs of our community partners and local construction companies. Our aim is to provide the kind of quality workers that real employers in the industry tell us the

SHAWN MOULENBELT

After college, Shawn built homes in Chicago, became a superintendent in Michigan, worked for the third largest home builder in the United States (Pulte Homes), moved into construct

BJ WELLS

I love the challenge and the thrill of building something from the ground up. But more importantly I have a passion for getting students involved and excited about working in the t

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