The 2011 Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) Construction Challenge presented by Volvo Construction Equipment is now open for entry.
The challenge is for high school students from across the United States and Canada to allow them the opportunity to learn about careers in the construction industry, meet potential employers, and gain new skills.
The construction industry still faces a severe shortage of qualified workers to meet future needs and is expected to create more than 1 million new jobs by 2012, according to AEM.
Students who participate in the nationwide competition “will learn about rewarding, interesting and lucrative careers in the industry, from engineering, project management, and service technicians, to sales, marketing, systems and related jobs,” according to the association.
Designed to inspire a skilled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs, the Construction Challenge is a joint effort by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), its presenting sponsor Volvo Construction Equipment, and Destination ImagiNation (DI) and its creativity programs. The Construction Challenge offers a chance for students, teachers, parents and community leaders to learn more about the relationship between construction, infrastructure and quality of life and the industry’s need for skilled employees to tackle infrastructure problems of crumbling bridges, overcrowded roadways and aging water and wastewater systems.
Up to 50 teams of students will participate in these regional qualifying rallies to secure their spot in the finals of the 2011 Construction Challenge held in March in Las Vegas during the gigantic CONEXPO/CON-AGG trade exposition. AEM is show producer and a show owner.
Teams of five to seven students can register with their adult team manager via www.constructionchallenge.org.
The eight Regional Rallies will be held on January 15, 2011 in the following cities:
• Atlanta (Georgia)
• Chicago (Illinois)
• Cincinnati (Ohio)
• Enid (Oklahoma)
• Dallas (Texas)
• Milwaukee (Wisconsin)
• Seattle (Washington)
• Toronto (Ontario, Canada)
For more information on the Challenge, contact David Bannister at [email protected] or 414-274-0657.
