IGNITE CAMPAIGN Building What Comes Next
construction.org
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A MESSAGE FROM THE CONSTRUCTION INSTITUTE This year, CI celebrates fifty years of bringing the AEC community together. Half a century of education. Half a century of collaboration. Half a century of building the people who build our region. Dear Friends, Members, and Partners, A fiftieth anniversary is a moment to look back with pride — and to look forward with purpose. As we look forward, the construction industry faces a turning point that demands action. The workforce that built the world around us is retiring faster than the next generation can be prepared to replace them. The skills required to build tomorrow — in sustainability, technology, and project delivery — are changing faster than traditional training can keep up. The Construction Institute has answered this call before. For five decades, we have been the place where the AEC community comes together to learn, to connect, and to raise the bar for what our industry can be. But the scale of what comes next demands more than our operating budget alone can carry. That is why, in our fiftieth year, we are launching the Ignite Campaign — to establish the CI Education & Workforce Campaign, a permanent resource dedicated to supporting students entering the industry and the sustained growth of our professional education program. This is not a departure from our mission. It is the fullest expression of it, and the most fitting way we can mark this milestone year. We invite you to join us. The industry we love needs what comes next. Together, we can build it.
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THE MOMENT The construction industry's greatest shortage isn't materials. It's people. Across the Northeast and the nation, the architecture, engineering, and construction industry faces a workforce crisis decades in the making. Three forces are converging at once:
An Aging Workforce A significant share of the industry's most experienced professionals — project managers, superintendents, estimators, and facilities leaders — are at or near retirement. When they leave, they take with them a depth of institutional and technical knowledge that cannot be replaced by a job posting.
A Narrow Pipeline Fewer young people are entering the AEC professions and the skilled trades. The reasons are many: misperceptions about career paths, limited exposure in schools, and the rising cost of education and credentials. The pipeline is not only narrow; in many specialties, it is shrinking.
A Faster Pace of Change The work itself is transforming. Building Information Modeling, artificial intelligence, modular and prefabricated construction, sustainability requirements, and evolving project delivery models all demand new skills — not only from new entrants, but from every professional already in the field. Standing still is not an option. The result: firms across our region are turning down work they can't staff, delaying projects they can't schedule, and losing ground on innovations they can't adopt fast enough.
This is not a future problem. It is the industry's present reality.
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WHY THE CONSTRUCTION INSTITUTE? The Construction Institute was founded fifty years ago on a simple conviction: the AEC industry is stronger when the people in it learn together. For five decades, we have been the trusted convener of architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, facilities managers, and industry partners across our region.
A Multidisciplinary Community What sets CI apart is not only what we teach, but who learns together. Architects, general contractors, subcontractors, facilities managers, lawyers, insurers and more, all in the same room — this is the multidisciplinary approach that mirrors how real projects are delivered, and it is rare in industry education.
Education Is Our Core
A Track Record of Trust
We are not a trade group that happens to offer classes. We are an education institution built by and for the industry. Our Professional Education program is the heart of what we do:
Our members tell the story better than we can:
Certificate Programs in Project Management, Construction Management, and Facilities Management In-person and online workshops and webinars led by the region's most respected practitioners A focus on technology, keeping members at the leading edge On-site training tailored to the needs of individual firms CEUs accredited by AIA, CMAA, and recognized across the profession
“The Construction Institute educational program is one of a kind. Where else can you attend workshops given by leaders in the construction industry for a very reasonable price? Those teaching are the thought leaders in their respective fields.” — Lewis Finkel, Professional Construction Services
“We consider the Construction Institute to be our ‘partner in training’ as we continue to create career development programs for our team. It dovetails with one of our core values which is to ‘Learn-Share-Elevate-Together.” — David DeMaio, Pat Munger Construction
We have the curriculum. We have the instructors. We have the community. What we need now is the capacity to meet the moment the industry is facing.
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THE IGNITE CAMPAIGN One pipeline. Every career stage. A stronger industry for generations.
Pillar One: The CI Vanguard Fellows Program Scholarships change lives when they do more than cover a single fee. The CI Fellowship Program is designed to be a genuine inflection point in a recipient's career — combining financial support, access to learning, community, and credentialing into a single package that opens doors long after the award is made. CI Fellowships are awarded to students pursuing careers in the AEC industry. Fellows are selected for their promise, their commitment to the industry, and the difference a Fellowship will make in their educational journey.
Each CI Vanguard Fellow receives: A full year of membership in the Construction Institute
A verified digital credential through Credly
Access to CI’s online certificate programs and library of content
A monetary scholarship to support the Fellow’s education
Regular meetings with industry leaders
Recognition at the Annual Dinner and online
The inaugural cohort will be selected in the spring of 2027, with the number of Fellowships determined by available campaign resources. As the Campaign grows, so will the number of Fellows supported each year — and the number of careers changed.
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Pillar Two: The Professional Education Track – Growing the Industry The Vanguard Fellows Program alone is not enough. The programs themselves must grow — in scope, in reach, and in responsiveness to the industry's evolving needs. The Campaign will underwrite the expansion of CI's Professional Education program, currently supported entirely through our operating budget. Specifically, the Campaign will support: •Development of new curriculum in AI, sustainability, modular construction, and emerging project delivery methods. •Recruitment and development of instructors. •Expansion of online learning and on-demand content, extending CI's reach beyond those who can travel to in-person sessions. •Subsidized pricing that keeps education accessible to firms of every size, particularly small and emerging businesses. •Strengthening of existing successful programs. •Partnerships with high schools, vocational programs, and community colleges to strengthen the pipeline upstream.
Together, these two pillars create something neither could accomplish alone: a continuous, sustained investment in the people who build our region's future.
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HOW THE CAMPAIGN WORKS How Funds are Used: Every gift to the Campaign — at every giving level — supports the Institute’s integrated mission across three priority areas
Scholarships for emerging AEC Professionals
“I have learned so much already and have been able to implement what I have learned in the field. I have come up with creative solutions to keep schedules on track and improve communication and coordination and am enjoying building connection between finance and construction.” Ellie Vancisin, Construction Resources, LLC.
Expansion of CI’s Professional Education Program Strategic workforce development initiatives that respond to the industry's evolving needs Within this scope, the Construction Institute directs resources where the industry's need is greatest each year. This flexibility is what makes the program work. It allows CI to respond to emerging challenges — a new technology, an underserved population, a workforce gap that didn't exist twelve months ago — without waiting for a new fundraising cycle.
Transparency and Accountability As a nonprofit 501(c)(3), the Construction Institute’s financials are available for public review. Every donor to the CI Education & Workforce Campaign — regardless of giving level — receives an annual report about the fellows and educational programs and development.
The AEC workforce challenge doesn't sit neatly in one bucket. Your gift gives CI the ability to move with the industry’s needs.
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Ways to Give IMAGINE A VANGUARD FELLOW A student in an AEC field — construction management, architecture, engineering, or the trades — passionate about building the world around them, hungry to learn, and facing the cost of textbooks, software, and credentials that stand between them and their first job.
Your gift makes it possible for that student to become a CI Vanguard Fellow — earning their first AEC credential, building their first industry network, gaining direct access to senior industry leaders, and stepping into a career that will shape the built world.
$10,000+
$5,000+
$2,500+
INAUGURAL FELLOW
FOUNDING PATRON
FORGE
Sponsors one Fellow in the founding 2027 cohort.
Recognized as a Founding Patron of the program.
The fire that shapes what we build.
DONATE
DONATE
DONATE
$1,000+
$500+
$100+
BEACON
CATALYST
IGNITER
A visible light guiding others.
A force that makes the reaction happen faster.
Every fire begins with a spark.
DONATE
DONATE
DONATE
All gifts to the CI Education & Workforce Campaign — at every level — are directed across the Campaign's three priority areas: scholarships, professional education, and workforce development. The Construction Institute deploys Campaign resources where the industry's need is greatest each year.
Ways to Contribute One-time gifts of any amount Multi-year pledges over two to four years Corporate sponsorships and matching gift programs Planned giving, including bequests and appreciated securities
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WHAT YOUR GIFT MAKES POSSIBLE The Ignite Campaign gives the industry the opportunity to invest in itself!
For Individuals Entering and Growing in the Field Open doors for students and careerchangers who could not otherwise afford credentials Accelerate the careers of early and midcareer professionals through targeted upskilling Expand access for employees of smaller firms without dedicated training budgets
For Members and the Industry Strengthen the talent pipeline that every AEC firm depends on Keep the regional workforce competitive on new technologies and delivery methods Reduce the cost and risk of in-house training through high-quality shared resources Build the reputation of our region as a place where AEC talent is nurtured and retained
For the Community and the Built Environment Deliver better projects, safer job sites, and more sustainable buildings Strengthen local economies by supporting career pathways into good jobs Ensure the next generation has the same opportunities — and better tools — than the last
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JOIN US For fifty years, the Construction Institute has brought the AEC community together through education and innovation. The Ignite Campaign is the next chapter of that story — and it is a chapter we cannot write alone. Whether you are a member who has built your career alongside CI, a firm that relies on our programs to develop your team, or a leader who believes the industry deserves a stronger future, there is a place for you in this campaign. A campaign launched in our fiftieth year should be sustained by the community that has carried us here.
The industry we love needs what comes next. Together, we can build it.
To Learn More or Make a Gift We would be honored to talk with you about how your support can shape the future of the AEC workforce. To discuss giving, named Fellowships, or multi-year commitments, please contact: Nancy Greenwald Executive Director 203.464.3293 ngreenwald@construction.org
The Construction Institute 290 Pratt Street, Suite #2307, Box #58 Meriden, CT 06450 www.construction.org
https://www.construction.org/ignite-campaign