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Volvo to sponsor AEM’s Construction Challenge

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The Association of Equipment Manufacturers, which runs the triennial Conexpo exhibition at Las Vegas, and Volvo Construction Equipment, have signed an agreement which makes Volvo the presenting sponsor for AEM’s annual Construction Challenge teen competition.

  

The challenge is a creative problem-solving program that educates young people about the value of construction industry careers, as well as industry contributions to improved quality of life.
Under the agreement, Volvo is the exclusive official presenting sponsor of the challenge competition from 2010 to 2014.
The Challenge includes challenge finals at the triennial CONEXPO-CON/AGG exposition (2011 and 2014), the challenge program within Destination ImagiNation’s yearly Global Finals, and regional rally qualifying events.
AEM initiated the Construction Challenge in 2007 as an engaging way to help students learn firsthand about careers in construction. Despite recent job losses, the construction sector still faces a severe shortage of qualified workers to meet future needs.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the construction industry needs to attract 240,000 workers each year to replace those leaving the industry and to allow for growth. By 2020 manufacturing overall faces a skilled worker shortage of 13-15 million, with no growth in the 18 to 26-year-old age group.
AEM partners with the global creativity organisation, Destination ImagiNation (DI), and a construction-themed challenge is an integral component of DI’s core program. DI programs foster creative problem solving through hands-on teamwork. They are offered in more than 30 countries, reaching more than 100,000 student participants each year.
Since its inception, the challenge has already directly engaged 3000 middle and high school students across North America, and the program and its messages have made an impression on more than 18 million students on a global level. Nearly 70% of challenge participants said they are now considering a construction career.
 


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