New England Infrastructure Partnership Connects Students with Construction Careers

Internships, mentorship, and classroom engagement will help bridge academic learning and professional practice

Key Highlights

• Sacred Heart University has partnered with New England Infrastructure, Inc. to connect students with hands-on learning and career opportunities in the construction industry
• NEI is a Massachusetts-based construction company with experience building and repairing highways, bridges, dams, renewable energy facilities, and other major infrastructure projects
• The partnership brings together SHU’s College of Arts & Sciences, School of Computing & Engineering, and Jack Welch College of Business & Technology

Sacred Heart University has entered a strategic partnership with New England Infrastructure, Inc. (NEI) designed to connect students directly with the construction industry through hands-on learning and career development opportunities.

NEI is a Massachusetts-based construction company. Since its founding in 2002, the company has repaired and constructed highways, bridges, dams, renewable energy facilities, and other major infrastructure projects.

The agreement between NEI and the University supports collaboration with SHU's College of Arts & Sciences (CAS), and its School of Computing & Engineering, and the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology (WCBT). The organizations share a long-term vision of preparing future talent and creating opportunities that benefit students, the construction profession, and the broader community.

“The construction industry needs talented people who can combine strong technical skills with judgment, leadership, and an understanding of how work actually gets done in the field,” said Todd Pietrasiak, president and owner of NEI. “This partnership gives us a chance to invest in that next generation.”

The partnership comes as the CAS launches its new construction management program, giving students another direct link to industry expertise. NEI will identify a senior, experienced representative to serve on the program’s advisory board.

“Students learn differently when they are able to apply what they know to consequential, real-world problems,” said Mark A. Beekey, dean of the CAS. “Through this partnership, our students will connect engineering and construction management concepts with the complexity of professional practice.”

Through the partnership, NEI will offer internships and co-op positions, along with job-shadowing and site visits, giving students exposure to a range of careers in the construction industry. SHU and NEI also intend to explore a mentorship model for successive internship cohorts. Under the model, experienced or returning interns may coach newer interns, helping them build leadership skills while sharing practical knowledge. NEI will also collaborate with business faculty and students to share aspects of their unique workplace culture and innovative talent management process.

NEI professionals will also bring industry experience into the classroom through real-world project examples, case materials, and guest lectures. The company has also agreed to sponsor engineering capstone projects, identifying problems for students to address while providing guidance and feedback throughout the process.

“The most valuable industry partnerships are not transactional,” said Andrew J. Gaudes, interim dean of the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology. “They create multiple points of connection between a company and a university. Our relationship with NEI brings together talent development, experiential learning, classroom engagement, and workforce development in a way that creates value for students and strengthens our ties to the industry.”

Brent French, associate dean of academics & assessment and associate teaching professor of management in the WCBT, and Kevin Bowlyn, director of the construction management program, serve as contacts for the collaboration. The agreement is designed to grow over time as SHU and NEI identify new opportunities.