Education

Industry Leaders Celebrate Cianbro Opening

 

Pittsfield, ME- Distinguished guests, including Maine lawmakers and national industry experts, joined Cianbro leaders Pete and Andi Vigue for a ceremony and tours to celebrate the opening of its new workforce development facility in Pittsfield.

Cianbro Institute

In an era of chronic shortages of skilled craftsmen and -women in the construction industry, Cianbro has used in-house educational efforts over the years to develop thousands of highly qualified construction professionals.

The addition of the new state-of-the-art facility will allow the company’s workforce development department — The Cianbro Institute — to base future educational initiatives from within the facility’s new fully equipped classrooms, office spaces for instructors, and spacious areas for larger educational gatherings.

Cianbro plans to continue efforts to ease the region’s worker shortage through the use of the new facility.

CEO Pete Vigue at the podium

“We believe that the challenges that we face with the workforce in our country and state are disguised opportunities,” said Cianbro chairman and CEO, Pete Vigue. “And we believe that it is our responsibility within this organization and within our industry to invest in the development of our future workforce while providing them an opportunity for personal growth. What we’ve learned when we support and believe in people is that the opportunities are endless, not only for individuals but also for our company.”

Cianbro Institute training class

 

Until now, the Cianbro Institute has utilized space within the company’s operational services building in Pittsfield, in combination with classrooms located in the community. At these locations, the institute has conducted sessions ranging from new hire orientation and craft education to leadership development. With the team now moved into the new facility, the core of Cianbro’s workforce development programs will exist under one roof where instructors and the support team will work together in close proximity. In addition, the new location provides some simple efficiencies such as eliminating travel and setup time between facilities, better management of classrooms, better communication among the team, and a loading dock to offer the ability to move necessary equipment in and out for classroom use.

As Cianbro continues to extend its reach as a company (currently working in more than 40 states), it will be critical for instructors to have the ability to deliver certain developmental opportunities remotely or via broadcast. By having multiple rooms equipped with cameras, this option will become a reality, giving Cianbro the opportunity to reduce travel costs, reach more team members at one time, and cut down on time away from a project.

Additionally, the facility will have a skilled-trades multifunctional room to conduct a variety of hands-on educational sessions. For example, rigging is an important skill to develop across many of the trades. The multifunctional room will offer the ability to set up 16-foot gantries for indoor demonstrations and activities. The possibilities for this room are plentiful, as are all of the many potential uses that the new Cianbro Institute facility brings to the company.