Establishing a Sense of Belonging: Rockford Team Members as WMCI Instructors
The West Michigan Construction Institute (WMCI) offers training, education and national certification for students interested in a career in construction. WMCI provides both classroom and hands-on learning, connecting students with industry experts. This semester, Rockford’s Stacy Tempelman, architect, and Bob Van Der Wiele, estimator, were both invited to instruct at WMCI.
When Rockford was asked if any team members were interested in instructing Commercial Construction Drawings, Tempelman was initially thought of. She was approached and saw this as an opportunity to share her construction experience as well as have an impact on the students. “I love WMCI’s mission,” said Tempelman, expressing that she was excited to be part of the students’ construction education.
Tempelman is engaged with the high school Carpentry Level II curriculum. More specifically, she is teaching the “How to Read Commercial Construction Drawings” unit. Her excitement to share her industry experience was further enhanced by the opportunity to be the first female craft training instructor in WMCI history. She believes this will open new doors for women in the industry.
Tempelman demonstrates there is a place for women in this traditionally male-dominated industry. Reflecting on her own experience, she has often been the minority on jobsites and in meetings. In fact, in 2022, it was found that only 10.9% of those in the construction industry were women. Despite this statistic, she believes there is a shift, with more women joining the industry. However, she still opines there is a lot of progress to be made and is proud to inspire the next generation of women in construction.
As the construction industry becomes more inclusive, Tempelman notes she would like to see more investment into women’s resource groups. “I believe more support and involvement with community events such as providing employees with opportunities to attend events that support their professional development and connect with other organizations within a similar community can have a profound impact on sharing diverse thoughts and ideas while also engaging with people of diverse backgrounds,” Tempelman shared. She is appreciative of Rockford’s intention to have roles focused on both DEI and community engagement, as well as the commitment to supporting programs like WMCI. She believes these efforts will bring an increase of new and diverse talent into the industry.
With over 20 years in the construction industry as well as experience volunteering with local schools’ STEM programs, Van Der Wiele saw this as a unique opportunity. Teaching both Carpentry Level II Commercial Drawings and Cold-Formed Steel Framing, he provides a unique skill set to help bridge the gap between classroom education and real-world application.
With the construction industry experiencing a talent shortage, Van Der Wiele believes inclusion is necessary to fill the gap as well as enhance creativity within the industry. “WMCI is providing the needed content and resources to help improve diversity in the construction industry,” he said, and believes this will also help to mediate the labor shortage.
Van Der Wiele believes Rockford has created a sense of belonging and respect within our offices and across jobsites and commends Rockford on making a genuine effort to engage with a wide variety of trade partners and diverse clients. As he looks to the future of the industry, he believes continuing to deepen conversations and connections with team members, trade partners and clients will cultivate diversity, equity and inclusion within the industry.
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