Demand for skilled construction workers is great in the processing industries along the US Gulf Coast, especially in Port Arthur, Tex., where Motiva Enterprises LLC is proceeding with a major refinery expansion (see the special report beginning on p. 18).
Increasingly, the industry is encouraging area young people to learn the skills it needs and is helping them with the training.
For example, Becon Construction Co. Inc., an affiliate of Bechtel and a principal construction contractor on the project, received a grant in September to develop skills and job training in partnership with Lamar State College-Port Arthur, a 2-year college.
“Here in the Golden Triangle [Port Arthur, Beaumont, and Orange, Tex.], we are blessed with a boom in construction,” said Bob Deatherage, manager of industrial relations. “But construction employment growth will be curtailed unless we can develop local workforce skills.”
Broader concern
The oil business isn’t alone in its concern about a shortage of construction professionals-or in its recognition of the importance of a youth-oriented response.
For every five people who leave the general construction industry, only one enters, according to Charles H. Thornton, who founded a partnership of architects, construction managers, engineers, and other industry professionals who cooperate to attract high school students to their professions. The ACE Mentor Program of America Inc. started in New York City in 1994, when 17 firms came together and recruited 90 local high school students.
The companies formed three groups that modeled a design and construction team to teach students about architecture, construction, and engineering. ACE is the construction industry’s fastest-growing high school mentoring program, with 30,500 students participating.
The program is free to students and sponsored by architectural, construction, and engineering firms and suppliers and equipment manufacturers. It consists of affiliates that serve youth within a certain city or region. Each affiliate has a board of directors, a local coordinator, and a number of teams.
Teams involve 15-25 students and 8-10 industry mentors. Several companies are assigned to each team, each providing one or two mentors. The teams are set up like actual design groups where each student takes on the role of the architect, contractor, or engineer. Mentors guide students through a mock engineering or architectural project and introduce them to vocabulary, tools, and roles companies play in the construction industry.
The teams meet for 2 hr after school for 15 sessions beginning in late September and ending in late April. Meeting locations rotate among the firms on each team in order for students to see a variety of work locations. Meetings are also held at the schools. In addition to the sessions, there are field trips to construction sites, videos, office tours, and other activities.
At the end of the year, the teams gather for banquets to unveil their mock projects. They present solutions to the problems they were assigned through models, drawings, electronic graphics, or other materials. School staff, prospective mentors, affiliate administrators, and families of the students attend the banquets.
The events serve as graduation ceremonies and honor students receiving scholarships.
Many disciplines
Through the ACE Mentor Program, students are exposed to many disciplines in the industry. This helps them decide on a trade to pursue. They also learn business relationship and communication skills and receive training in 3D modeling, drawing, computer graphics, and other software.
Sessions at mentors’ locations help students understand industry work environments and prepare to move into the field. The career guidance students receive and the contacts they develop with dedicated professionals help them find internships and employment after college. Many students remain active alumni of the program and encourage others to get involved in the construction industry.
Most affiliates host a college night, and all teams in the area attend. This event provides information on financing and curriculum.
Selected individuals receive scholarships for further education if they decide to pursue one of the disciplines. Since 1995, ACE has awarded $6.6 million in scholarships through their sponsors.
The program lets mentors help their communities while inspiring youth and promoting their companies public images. It also links companies to talented and ambitious part-time help and potential employees.
