ACP Pubs

Michael Larson

Construction Challenge Competition Builds Youth Excitement About Industry
February 7, 2008

Youth Competition Excites Next Generation About Construction Industry

On Saturday, January 12th, I had the pleasant opportunity to watch 170 bright and excited high-school-aged young people test their quick wits and problem-solving skills during the Midwestern Regional Rally of the first Construction Challenge competition.

The Midwest rally was one of five regional competitions held across the country that Saturday to determine what teams would advance to the competition's national finals during the construction industry's huge Conexpo-Con/Agg trade show in Las Vegas in March.

A story and photos are featured in Western Builder's February 4 edition.

The Construction Challenge is a creative-problem-solving program that has the construction industry as its focus.

It is sponsored by the Associated Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) organization and managed by DestinationImagiNation, a non-profit organization that has decades of experience developing and managing creative-thinking programs for young people.

The Construction Challenge is a first step in trying to educate and excite the next generations of America's young people about the construction industry, its vital connection to our daily lives, and the well-paying high-skill career opportunities it now offers.

With droves of baby-boomer construction workers heading off to retirement over the next several years, the industry is staring at severe shortages of workers in the near future.

One reason that problem will be hard to solve is that not as many children are being born these days as in decades past.

There's no quick way to remedy that (though I am sure there are plenty of volunteers willing to try).

The problem of fewer candidates is compounded by young people not being aware of how vital the construction industry is to our daily lives and how many higher-tech, interesting career opportunities the industry can offer.

The Construction Challenge was created to help make young people -- prospective future employees -- aware of how great the construction industry is -- and of the potential for interesting careers they can enjoy working in it.

The Challenge is trying to correct the outdated image that construction work consists solely of rugged physical labor carried out on muddy ground or lofty iron beams in skin-scorching sun or icy-cold winds.

In preparation for the competition, teams of 5 to 7 students and their coaches meet weekly to research and discuss various aspects of the construction industry, its challenges, and its career opportunities. They also practice creative problem solving.

The regional competition itself requires the teams to perform three timed challenges:
   1. A pre-researched debate between two teams about a challenge in the construction industry.
   2. Creating a communication piece promoting the industry to a specific audience.
   3. Building a bridge from a selection of available materials.

Teams earning the highest total number of points qualify for an all-expense-paid trip to be among the 50 finalist teams competing for the national title in Las Vegas during the Conexpo-Con/Agg construction trade show in March.

That 13 of 28 teams from the Midwest Regional Rally advanced to the finals shows that the event is more about generating excitement in the participants than about simple competition. The bright and motivated young people who participate in the challenge will -- win or lose -- come away with a better understanding of the construction industry and be able to help spread the word to their friends.

Although the challenge is not in itself the answer to the construction industry's need to update its image and recruit more than a million new workers in less than a decade, it is an admirable start.

Posted by Michael Larson on February 7, 2008 | Comments (0)