There are more than 141,000 construction-related jobs in Wisconsin, with many of them supporting the residential construction industry.  

One could argue that no workers are more prepared to enter the workforce than students who graduate from FVTC’s Residential Building Construction program. Students are working with tools within the first week of class, and they build a single-family house that will ultimately go on the market and be sold before the last day of class. 

Paul Lewandowski is the department chair of the Residential Building Construction program. He joined WHBY’s Hayley Tenpas and breaks down the timing and process of teaching students while they build a house. 

Tap the video to listen to the interview or scroll down to read the transcript. 

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Tenpas: Welcome back to Focus Fox Valley on WHBY. We are checking in with our Focus on Careers with Fox Valley Technical College, an opportunity to highlight careers of promise and many paths that lead our students right back to careers in the Fox Valley. 

Today, our focus is on the Residential Building Construction program. What I think is most interesting about this program is the hands-on aspect, a curriculum that has you build a house. We will learn more about it today with their department chair, Paul Lewandowski, who joins us in the studio. Paul, good afternoon. 

Lewandowski: Hi. Good afternoon. 

Tenpas: I would love to start by understanding a bit of your passion for this area. Tell us about your path to Fox Valley Tech and how you got to where you are today. 

Lewandowski: I started off as a young boy who liked to build forts and things like that. When I graduated from high school, I worked for an industrial concrete company for a short time before going to college. While going to college, I started working for a carpentry company back in Ohio. I worked there every summer and during breaks while going to school. After I graduated, I worked for a couple of very well-respected builders in Wisconsin for a couple of years. Then I went into business for myself for a few more years. I had a teaching degree from college, and I found my dream job at Fox Valley Tech. They were looking for a teacher and a carpenter. 

Tenpas: Perfect. I heard about a couple of areas there that would help you build a house, cement, carpentry, and work with area builders. That is fantastic, so you found yourself maybe enjoying teaching students on the job. 

Lewandowski: Yes, it was kind of the best of both worlds, being able to pass on my craft to future generations. It’s been a really good opportunity. 

Tenpas: I love that. This program is a yearlong technical diploma, and it is hands-on; you build a house throughout that year. Walk us through it. 

Lewandowski: Our students spend approximately half their time at the Spanbauer Center in Oshkosh. We have a classroom and a shop. We introduce a topic and practice it. The other half of the time, students are out on a job site somewhere in our district building an actual house. 

Tenpas: That is amazing. Does not get more hands on than that. 

Lewandowski: No. Pretty much from day two, the students are working with tools and starting to learn. 

Tenpas: Wow. A question that might pop up, how does your program identify where to build or how do you obtain the proper permits and lot? How does that process work? 

Lewandowski: We are just like any other home builder or buyer looking for lots. We also have realtors who keep us informed. We try to stick with popular areas because ultimately, if we build the house, we will have to sell the house. So, we want to stay where the market is hot. 

Tenpas: That is such a real-time, real-life process. Are students able to see things through from lot to home? 

Lewandowski: Our students work on two houses. When they come into the program in August, the house was already framed by last year’s class. They complete the house, which is done around Memorial Day. Then the house hits the market. The students stick around for the summer and frame up next year’s project. So, they take one to completion and start a new one. 

Tenpas: A true handing of the baton. That’s really neat. What type of challenges or situations have you seen pop up that are like, “Hey, that’s real life”? 

Lewandowski: During COVID, there were some material shortages and compliance issues. The weather is always our biggest one. Sometimes subcontractors overpromise and underdeliver. That happens occasionally. 

Tenpas: But that helps students learn how to navigate those situations and navigate them with a mentor or peers. 

Lewendowski: Yes, it really does. That is what is special about our program, building a real house in a real setting. You deal with neighbors, road construction, showing up on time to a new location, and things like that. 

Tenpas: Very cool. We are going to pause here, but when we come back, we will tell you about a project from last year, a mobility-friendly home for adults in partnership with Covey. More on that in a moment. Do not go away; it is our Focus on Careers with Fox Valley Tech. 

Tenpas: Welcome back to Focus on Careers. We are learning more about the Residential Building Construction program with department chair Paul Lewandowski. You might recall a story that made media rounds last year. Students from Fox Valley Tech’s program built a mobility-friendly home for adults. It received a lot of attention. Is there any interest in doing it again? What are you hopeful for in future projects that support different areas of our community, Paul? 

Lewandowski: The Covey project was not new to us. We have partnered with other nonprofits over the years but never built a new house. They approached us a couple of years prior. What really has to fit our program is the timeline. Covey was totally on board with that. It takes almost a year to build the house because our program is curriculum-based, not project-based. It was a really good fit and a satisfying project for our staff and students. 

Tenpas: I was going to say, that has to be so meaningful for those students. That is great. 

Lewandowski: It was. They had a ribbon cutting at the end where a couple of their future residents came. Our students had a really good time meeting them and sharing their excitement. 

Tenpas: That is awesome. Let us talk about the “ideal student.” I smiled when you said you liked building forts and playing with blocks as a kid. I think of my four-and-a-half-year-old who likes to do those things. Thinking ahead, what qualities make a good fit? 

Lewendowski: It’s really just someone with a desire to get into the industry. The sky is the limit on where they may end up. They might start at the bottom with a construction company or crew and depending on their hard work and how much they want to learn, they could end up as the future owner of a business. 

Tenpas: Do you find your students are fresh out of high school? Or do you see some who have already worked in the field? 

Lewendowski: Over the years, it has transitioned. We used to get a lot of students right out of high school. Occasionally, we would get discharged vets or college students who tried the four-year path. Now, we are not getting as many from high school, it is a smattering all over the board. So, it is hard to say where they all come from these days. 

Tenpas: There are so many local companies, including family-led ones. Are your graduates sticking around the Fox Valley? 

Lewandowski: Typically, our students stick around. We are pretty good at retaining students from outside the area, and they end up staying in the Valley. I would say we keep more than we lose. 

Tenpas: I might need to pick your brain; I have a basement that needs to be redone. This program is perfect for someone who wants to build or remodel a house. Are you seeing a lot of flippers come through? 

Lewandowski: Yes. We ask our students when they start what they hope to get out of it. In the last five years, a lot have shown interest in flipping houses. Sometimes their opinion changes by the end, they realize they need to do a better job than they thought and consider the investment side more seriously. 

Tenpas: That is great to hear. You are able to give them clarity. Where can people find more information? 

Lewandowski: They can go to the Fox Valley Tech website fvtc.edu and check us out there. If anyone wants to see our facility at the Spanbauer Center in Oshkosh or tour a job site, we are open to that too. 

Tenpas: Where are you currently building, may I ask? 

Lewandowski: We are building at 3913-188 Crabapple Lane in Oshkosh. The house will be going up for sale shortly. 

Tenpas: Excellent. That is exciting, is it almost done? 

Lewandowski: It is almost done. A couple more weeks and it will hit the market. 

Tenpas: Congratulations to the current class on what they are working on. And thank you, Paul, for joining us today. 

Lewandowski: Thank you for having me. 

Tenpas: Absolutely. Again, visit FVTC Residential Construction, a great way to find out more. They are currently opening the program for this summer, fall, and spring 2026. Check it out at fvtc.edu/residentialconstruction.