Program teaches students about construction jobs and opportunities

From analyzing flooding at Annapolis City Dock to designing a food hall around a neighborhood’s distinct needs to deciphering the complexities of project financing and construction schedules, the ACE Mentor programs in Baltimore and Annapolis gave more than 200 students in-depth construction education last year.

To support that training, the BC&E Foundation granted $2,500 each to the ACE Mentor Program of Baltimore and the ACE Mentor Program of Annapolis this past year.

At three high schools in Annapolis and 10 in greater Baltimore, about 90 professionals in architecture, engineering and construction mentored students through the 16-week program. Teams of students were assigned a construction project and tasked with planning the design, engineering and construction of their projects. At the end of the program, each team presented their project proposal to a panel of judges.

The ACE Mentor program “emulates a real construction project as best as possible,” said Cozette Conrad, ACE Baltimore’s Affiliate Director. “ACE gives students hands-on experience with every aspect of a project, shows how people in different roles work together and what each person is responsible for. It’s a unique experience and it is why I really love this program.”

The Greater Baltimore students were asked to design a food hall that included a community service or community space. Students could choose to work with one of three sites which were located near Patterson Park, Green Street Academy and the Merriweather Post Pavilion.

“It was really interesting to see how each team tailored their design to the aesthetics of the surrounding buildings, the nature of surrounding communities and what those communities needed,” Conrad said.

In one location that lacked a nearby grocery store, students proposed including grab-and-go food options and outdoor space for a farmers’ market. One team tailored its design to attract certain kinds of cuisine based on the demographics of the surrounding community. Another included coworking space to support remote workers and entrepreneurs.

“One team really leaned into sustainability. They talked about preserving the trees onsite and adding native plants and a pollinator garden,” Conrad said.
Students in the Annapolis program were tasked with designing a project that could revitalize City Dock.

“They immediately realized that flooding is a serious problem at City Dock and they proposed different kinds of flood mitigation in their designs, including French drains and raised construction,” said Debbie Chamberlain, ACE Mentor Program’s Affiliate Director.

“They also realized that they were dealing with a historic area so they needed to design things that worked with the historic architecture of the area,” Chamberlain said.

Teams consistently proposed multi-level, multi-use projects for City Dock, but the designs and types of uses varied. In addition to bars, coffee shops and outdoor gathering spaces, the students’ proposals included an observation deck, an aquarium filled with marine life native to the Chesapeake Bay and a building shaped like a lighthouse.

Both ACE programs selected winning designs and awarded a total of $40,000 in scholarships to select students.

“The scholarships go to the right people who deserve them and need them,” Chamberlain said. That money can be used to offset the cost of degree programs in architecture, engineering or construction, or other training in construction trades.

The program helps many students clarify their career plans or discover new, interesting career paths in the construction industry, Conrad said.

“Some students will come into the program knowing that they want to be architects,” she said. “But as they work through the project, some students will say, wait a minute, project management is really interesting and there’s a lot of room to be creative as a project manager.”

The ACE program also provides students with opportunities to gain further mentoring, education and job opportunities after the program ends. ACE Mentor Baltimore organizes 80-hour externships which enable some students to shadow mentors on their jobs during the summer. The program also shares opportunities for internships with students and alumni.

ACE Mentor Annapolis has started organizing an annual Trades Day. The lunchtime gathering at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) enables students to meet with representatives of AEC companies, discuss job options and learn about construction training at AACC.

“We have had some great success stories with our students being hired by these companies,” Chamberlain said. ACE mentors and some of their companies’ HR professionals stay in touch with students long after the program ends, providing guidance and opportunities for training and employment.