The ACE Program Sheds New Light

In 1995, the ACE Program was born. ''What is this?'' you may ask. It is the Architecture, Construction, and Engineering Mentor Program. It was initially developed to service the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut areas, but since 2002, it has grown nationwide. Major employees at marketing and construction firms hoping to get students interested in the building industry or on their way to careers in construction founded it.

The concern for the industry came about when the U.S. Department of Labor reported that by 2012, there would be at least 1 million job openings in the industry. Hence, there will be more job openings than there are trained people to execute the work. So a bunch of professional architects, interior designers, engineers, construction managers, college and university representatives, and other professionals, as well as corporations and organizations, got together to enlighten high school kids and encourage them to pursue career opportunities in these fields.

The ACE Mentor Program is made up of affiliates that serve students according to region or city. Each affiliate is made up of a team that includes an owner firm, an architectural and design firm, engineering firms, a construction manager, subcontractors, and skilled workers. This team is matched with students. Mentors at the lead firm will then be responsible for getting everyone together for meetings and activities.

Teams meet after school for a total of 30 to 40 hours per school year. The pros work with the students to show them not only the work required on a building but also how each team member would contribute to the project. During the season, there are many events that take place. Registration events, college night, and special speaker presentations are just a few. Field trips to jobsites and mentors' offices enable the students to get hands-on experiences with what it's like to work in the field and work as part of a team.

There are many benefits for a company that decides to participate in this program:

It enhances your company image.
It provides an opportunity for networking.
It informs your firm of talented and motivated part-time help and up-and-coming employees for the future.
It will help young people with their presentations and communication skills.
It will give your business the opportunity to give back to the community by helping to educate the future business leaders of tomorrow.

Some businesses that have already taken part in this groundbreaking program are Turner Construction, EMCOR Group, PSI, Gilbane Building Co., and McGraw-Hill Construction. According to Pamela Mullender, ACE's executive director, "Our statistics show us that 92% of the kids who have gone through the program have gone on to college and pursued a career in the construction industry."

Because of the huge demand for skilled laborers and professionals to find out about the job opportunities that are available in the construction industry, Mullender hopes to have 100,000 students in the program over the next five years. ACE's mentors have already worked with 30,500 high school students and have awarded $6.6 million in scholarships. In order to reach its goals, the program will focus on incorporating more firms into the program, as well as more students.

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The ACE Program Sheds New Light