ACE Benefits To Students

Mentors will be successful designers, engineers and contractors, from leading design and construction firms, who volunteer their time and energy. They can offer students a taste of what it is like to work in these fields and help decide what career is right for them.

The ACE Mentor Program is made up of companies in the design and construction industry who want to provide career direction to students interested in learning more about these fields. Many of these companies are well known in the design and construction industry, and some have offices throughout the country or even international offices. It also includes leading schools and universities with programs geared especially towards students who want to pursue design careers.

ACE has also partnered with many apprentice and training programs for students who are interested in the skilled crafts.

The companies join into teams and “adopt” a group of students for the duration of a school year. The teams are organized like a real life design/construction project. For example, a team might include a corporate “owner”, an architectural firm, a construction company, and an engineering firm. In addition, each team includes a local college or university that offers an architecture, engineering, or related program.

Together with their mentors, each team will develop a program for the year that is tailored to the student’s interests.

Introductory sessions might include hands-on activities, office tours, videos, and field trips to expose students to the various disciplines within the industry.

Also, students will be challenged with an actual design project. The project could be redesigning a residence, a new high school, or planning to bring the Olympics to a major city! Mentors will guide students along each stage of the project. At the end of the year, each team will put on a presentation of their work, which parents and teachers will be invited to attend.

Most affiliates will also host a “College Night.” All teams in the area attend this event. Its purpose is to provide students with information that will help them chose the right college and help them find financing.

Meetings are usually held once every 2 weeks for a total of 15 meetings, after school, from about 4pm to 6pm. Each team tries to meet on a set day of the week, so make sure that it does not conflict with other activities in the students schedule.

ACE is open to high school freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Depending on the number of available openings in the local chapter, juniors and seniors may be given preference.

The program is free. What we ask is that students give us their invaluable time. A students commitment to the program will lead to a great career in the construction industry the second largest industry in the country.