SKILLED

S. M. Wilson’s Construction Career Education program SKILLEDprovides hands-on opportunities to integrate academic learningand focus on future employment in the A/E/C industry.SKILLED’s mission is to “Inspire the future of construction“.

The three-pronged program supports individuals from allexperience levels, from PreK students to workforceprofessionals, to Discover, Develop and Elevate their skillsin the construction industry. Through SKILLED, S. M. Wilsonwill provide the educational framework to teach, mentor andinspire in three ways:

DiscoverDevelopElevate

Discover

The Discover phase of the program provides STEAM opportunitiesfor the PreK-12 age groups designed for each grade levelincluding career paths, hands-on activities and constructionsite field trips.

In the Field

Engaging the students, as well as the community, was criticalfor S. M. Wilson’s Hallsville School District Primary SchoolAddition and Renovation project. Prior to groundbreaking,summer school students designed artwork along with the#BuildingOurTribe campaign to gain support from localresidents. S. M. Wilson turned the designs into custom bannerswhich will be displayed around the job site throughoutconstruction.

The project team introduced high school students to real-worldapplications of a construction project through site tours oftheir Primary School gym and classroom additions. This is a

reocurring program that will continue throughout the schoolyear. Seeing the physical job completed in real-time with theguidance of the S. M. Wilson project team will give studentsthe unparalleled introduction to construction. The programwill include construction career presentations and STEAMconstruction activities for middle and primary schoolstudents.

“Students enjoyed touring the jobsite and seeing a variety ofdifferent trade skills taking place. We are excited tocontinue this program with S. M. Wilson throughout the schoolyear. Thanks to S. M. Wilson for this educationalopportunity, it is really appreciated.”

Caleb Martin, Teacher and Advisor, Hallsville R-IV Schools

Develop

The program’s Develop phase offers career-ready internships,career training and mentorship.

In the Field

Beyond the Build, S. M. Wilson’s core values represent thequalities we look for in the people we hire. One of our mostsuccessful resources for finding great people to add to ourteam is through S. M. Wilson’s Internship Program.

Led by the company’s Collegiate Development Committee, theprogram offers a variety of internships to high school andsecondary students interested in working in the constructionindustry. In addition to work experience, students engage innetworking, mentoring and hands-on training opportunities tobenefit their personal and professional development.

To set up interns for success, they are strategically pairedwith S. M. Wilson Mentors who provide support and feedback. S.

M. Wilson interns are given the same responsibilities as thatof a regular full-time employee accompanied by goals andtraining set forth at the beginning of the program.

Project Engineer Emily Echele joined S. M. Wilson full-time inJanuary 2019 after completing a summer internship and fall co-op.

Elevate

S. M. Wilson supports the internal professional growth ofemployees in the Elevate portion of the program throughcontinued job training, team building, development programs,leadership and advancement opportunities.

In the FieldWe are invested in our employees and strive to provide apositive company culture byemphasizing growth, encouraging professional development andsupporting work-life balance. A few benefits we offerinclude:

Tuition ReimbursementS. M. Wilson may reimburse full-time employees up to $3,000per calendar year for job-related educational courses takenthrough local accredited trade school, colleges oruniversities.

Leadership ProgramTheinvestment in leadership skills is important for

successful professional development. Quarterly professionallearning experiences are provided for employees company-widethrough guest speakers, leadership assessments andnetworking events.

Career PathsS. M. Wilson has formally identified career paths

articulate to every employee to support employees in theirprofessional growth, outlining the technical and soft skillsnecessary for success and career advancement.

Rotation ProgramEmployees spend time in pre-construction and estimating,operations and field experiences to develop and grow

critical characteristics and aptitude related to buildingknowledge.

Wilson WomenA program to provide camaraderie and support to the

women in our company. Regular meetings provide forrelationship building and professional development as well asa way to share networking events and community service andprofessional development opportunities.

Learn more about how S. M. Wilson is inspiring the future ofconstruction in this article from CNR.

For more information on SKILLED, contact Kristyn Newbern atkristyn.newbern@smwilson.com or 314.633.9641.