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March 31, 2009

Scholarships Available for Concrete-Based Degree

The pathway to one of the nation’s hottest job markets is literally paved with concrete. The Sierra Nevada Concrete Association is funding a four-year scholarship for the unique Concrete Industry Management program at California State University, Chico.

“This degree and education track is the fast track to high-paying jobs,” said Rick Quinn, of the Sierra Nevada Concrete Association, a Northern Nevada-based industry association promoting the use of concrete.

“The program at Chico State is patterned after the very successful Tennessee State University program where every single graduate has been getting a job with an average annual salary of $42,000 right out of school,” he said.
The Chico State program is the only one of its kind in California/Nevada region, and among only four in the nation. Students in the major take a hybrid of courses – some in business management, some in concrete engineering - and have to participate in a mandatory internship that is offers a stipend of $2,000-$3,000 per month.

“This program is created with the support of the concrete industry because we need interns and graduates,” Quinn said. “We were also worried that the lack of concrete work in college civil engineering programs would create a skills-gap for concrete-based construction management and techniques.”

American concrete production nearly doubled from 1990 to 2006 when the industry cranked out 243 million cubic tons of what has become the world’s most popular building material due to is durability, strength, lower life-cycle cost and lower environmental impacts.
To be eligible for the Sierra Nevada Concrete Association Concrete Industry Management Scholarship, worth more than $12,000, students must a be a resident of Nevada, have a desire to attain a Bachelors degree of higher in a course of study leading to a construction or concrete management careers, and is an entering freshman or currently enrolled in college.

Criteria includes; need, achievements, grades and desire -- including a written statement regarding career objectives. Scholarship details are available by calling 775-852-6551.

SNCA Scholarship Application (282.4 Kb)