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Contractors and owners have long lamented the decline in the construction industry’s image – a decline that continues to hinder our ability to find a quality workforce that can meet the challenges of delivering a quality project.
Build Up! is the first phase of the AGC of America Construction Futures campaign, an initiative designed to inform and educate our youngsters, their parents and teachers about career opportunities in the construction industry. It was developed to restore a sense of pride for the construction industry.
Build Up! targets students in the fifth grade, mainly 10-11 year olds. Children at this age begin eliminating career choices they find less enticing. It emphasizes construction’s positive impact on the environment and improvement of the quality of life. It provides them with important information about the exciting, rewarding, and diverse career opportunities the construction industry offers.
The Build Up! Tool Kit is a yellow heavy-duty plastic toolbox which includes activities designed to educate children about the construction industry. The kit includes a Build Up! poster that showcases a city under construction, a teaching guide, a video titled “How Do They Build Bridges”, student take-home pages that stress construction site safety and suggest explorations for the entire family to enjoy, materials for hands-on classroom activities, a book titled “Up Goes the Skyscraper” to be used as students construct a skyscraper, and a teacher questionnaire that solicits feedback from teachers on how to improve the materials and activities. Also provided are student hardhats. The activities and exercises are designed to be taught over a 2-3 week period.
By providing a better understanding of the construction industry, Build Up! creates a receptive audience of those who will be the builders, owners, architects, engineers, mayors, and city council members for the cities of tomorrow.
Put a Build Up! kit in your local elementary school - AGC members and others may sponsor kits at a cost of $215 each. There is no cost to teachers or schools. If you would like more information, contact the AGC office, 270/744-6261 or email cnelson@wkca.org
