Education

Professional & Leadership Development

Elevating Skills, Strengthening Leaders, Advancing California’s Construction Industry

At UCON, we are passionate about elevating leaders in the construction industry through comprehensive education and training. Our programs—taught by experienced labor staff—include the Project Management Career Advancement (PMCA) series, Project Engineer Bootcamp, Executive Leadership training, and free on-demand resources exclusively for members. These courses sharpen skills in project management, leadership, technical effectiveness, communication, and safety.

Professional development isn’t just nice to have—it drives retention and addresses the industry’s most pressing workforce challenges. Research shows that organizations offering robust training and leadership programs see over 30–35% higher employee retention than those that don’t. At the same time, contractors nationwide invested $1.6 billion in workforce development in 2023, with more than 1.3 million course attendances reported. Yet over 90% of firms still struggle to find qualified workers, especially in project management, supervisory, and leadership roles. UCON’s commitment to continuous learning directly tackles this skills gap, helping members retain talent, build loyalty, and stay competitive and future-ready.

Whether you’re stepping into your first lead role, supervising a project, or guiding corporate strategy, our education program is designed to build capability, confidence, and career growth.

Link to Professional Development Calendar 

  • Leadership Development Programs

    Building the Next Generation of Construction Leaders

    Advance your career with UCON’s leadership training—programs for field leaders, project managers, and executives in California construction.

    Executive Leadership 

    An exclusive, invite-only two-day intensive for senior construction leaders, focused on leading yourself, leading teams, and leading the industry. Highly rated and regarded by past participants, this flagship program has been running since 2018 and has graduated over 100 executives across California’s construction industry.
     

    Read more

  • Continuing Education Courses

    Practical Training for Everyday Challenges

    Stay compliant and competitive with UCON’s construction training. Courses cover labor, communication, project skills, and workforce essentials.

    Read more

  • Fearless Field Leader Program

    A structured leadership development pathway for construction field leaders.

    Designed with contractors, for contractors, the Fearless Field Leader Program is a flexible, three-level development path for construction field leaders at every stage. Leaders may take courses in any order and progress at their own pace while building leadership, communication, accountability, and business alignment. Certificates are earned at each level, with a Master Field Leader certificate awarded upon completion of all three.

    Why This Program Works:

    Read more

“UCON features great people who know how to lead and educate.”

- Albert Agbulos, Robert A Bothman Construction.