Bolstered by a variety of highly successful recent events and initiatives, including a newly launched partnership with The ACE Mentor Program of California, the completion of its largest executive leadership development program to date and several recent and planned construction career awareness events, AGC’s Construction Education Foundation continues to make inroads promoting construction education and building the future workforce in California.

Earlier this month, the AGC Foundation held an official kick-off mixer and fundraiser event in downtown Sacramento to celebrate the partnership it has forged with The ACE Mentor Program. Hosted by AGC’s Delta Sierra District, the event featured presentations from construction education programs, ACE Mentor and AGC student chapter members. All event proceeds will go to the joint efforts of the Foundation/ACE partnership as well as to future scholarships for local students.

As the only statewide construction association in California, AGC annually raises and distributes substantial scholarship funds through a variety of events held both regionally and statewide each year. That includes a silent auction fundraiser held at AGC’s 2011 spring conference in May that generated over $11,900 for the AGC scholarship fund, bringing the total raised for scholarships this year alone to just over $20,000 and counting.

The announcement of the AGC Foundation/ACE Mentor partnership this spring came on the heels of AGC’s most successful executive leadership development program to date, held at Pepperdine University in Malibu in April. Some 22 students participated in four full days of intense construction specific leadership curriculum and action planning while enjoying a number of networking opportunities. Each student also received three continuing education units (CEUs) from Pepperdine University’s graduate school of business and management.

Two of this year’s participants were from AGC’s California State University (CSU) Chico student chapter. Their registration fee and travel expenses were sponsored by Skanska Civil West Co., providing another example of AGC members’ active commitment to educating and training the next generation of construction leaders in California.Also this spring, the AGC Foundation sponsored two highly successful Construction Career Awareness Days (CCAD), in Fresno on April 29 and Los Angeles on April 7, which together drew a total of more than 2,000 students who turned out to learn more about the career options available in the construction industry. Students visited exhibits, experienced the equipment rodeo and hands-on activities, participated in a team skills based competition and listened to presentations from industry professionals. During the Fresno event, Erin Volk, director of the foundation, and Dave Jones, vice president of field services for AGC, had the opportunity to present CSU Fresno student Peter Rees with a $2,500 scholarship from AGC of America.

AGC’s focus on career and workforce development continues with more high profile events planned for the fall of 2011 and beyond. The foundation has recently announced a partnership with another organization, LEED – Linking Education and Economic Development, an employer-education partnership serving the greater Sacramento region, to host what is expected to be one of the largest career development events in the state in 2011. The two organizations will merge the 2011 Sacramento CCAD into LEED’s larger career exploration event, CareerGPS 2011, which is slated for Oct. 13-14 at Cal Expo in Sacramento. The expected attendance is 10,000 high school students from a six county Sacramento region. AGC members and others from throughout the construction industry who typically exhibit at or sponsor the Sacramento Construction Career Awareness Day are encouraged to participate in CareerGPS 2011. Call AGC at (916) 371-2422 for more information.For more information on these or any other planned AGC Construction Education Foundation events or programs, please call Erin Volk, director, at (916) 371-2422 or email volke@agc-ca.org.