Opens Contest to Canadian Students to Increase AEC Career Exploration

Applied Software, GRAITEC Group, a leading systems integrator in the AEC, construction, and manufacturing industries, recently announced it is bringing back its “Keeping AEC Green” scholarship program for a second year and is expanding to accept essay entries from high school students in Canada. Designed to encourage students to explore careers in sustainable construction, the program will award four winners this year more than $3,000 toward their future education.

The labor shortage in the built industry is estimated at more than 500,000 unfilled jobs to meet the growth in construction, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors, and industry leaders are challenged to develop a reliable pipeline of talented new job seekers. “GRAITEC and Applied Software are glad to do our part among AEC companies actively trying to solve the industry’s labor shortage and encouraging more sustainable construction practices,” said Scott McMaster Executive Vice President, GRAITEC North America. “The response from our 2023 effort exceeded our expectations, so we’re thrilled to expand our campaign this year to include GRAITEC Canada and help more students explore AEC career options.”

Applied Software, GRAITEC Group launched the scholarship contest in 2023 and received more than 200 entries in the inaugural contest. Three winners from PA, TX, and MA were selected last year for their detailed, well-researched essays about innovative solar power initiatives, the environmental impacts of low-density urban sprawl, and more sustainable design practices.

The contest is free to enter and participating students will develop research skills to understand a problem and why it’s important, think creatively about a solution and argue a case for it, and consider the roadblocks to getting solutions in place. Students are asked to consider topics in sustainable construction but are free to research and propose any topics and solutions they find interesting and impactful. Entries will be judged on originality, depth of research, professionalism, and creativity.

Open to students currently enrolled in any high school in the U.S and Canada, the contest will begin accepting entries on June 1, 2024, and award winners will be notified this Fall, giving students ample opportunity to research topics and develop ideas to solve problems facing their local community and today’s built environment.

Executives from Applied Software, GRAITEC Group and a panel of industry judges will evaluate each entry and award four students receiving the highest scores with scholarship donations. Two first-place winners will be selected, one in the U.S. and one in Canada, to receive $1,000 and 1,000 Canadian dollars, respectively. The first-place winners’ high schools will also receive a $500, or CA$500, donation to their technology innovation department or similar program from Applied Software, GRAITEC Group. Judges also will select from the U.S. entries a second-place winner to receive $300, and a third-place winner to receive $250.

More details including entry guidelines and terms and conditions can be found at the contest website.

Check out more news, articles and blogs here