Photos courtesy Construction Challenge

Student competitions, such as 'Construction Challenge,' can help youth better understand what a career in design/construction entails.

By next year, the construction industry expects to have more than a million positions with no applicants. To manage this potential crisis, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is funding 'Construction Challenge '09' to help youth throughout North America better understand the sector—and consider joining it in the future.

Open to students in middle and high schools, one such event takes place on February 7 in Toronto. Fifty teams of five to seven students are expected to participate in activities structured around three challenges:
• understanding the impact of infrastructure on society;
• design and manufacturing; and
• service and maintenance.

No specific skills are required, as challenges focus more on general problem solving.

Visit www.constructionchallenge.org.