ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, NJ — Trilogy Publications launched a new book “Those Amazing Builders,” to interest middle and high school students in careers in construction, just in time for the construction hiring boom.
The book comes at a time when the construction industry is on an upswing. More than 2 million jobs were lost between 2007 and 2011 during the economic downturn—a period in which hundreds of thousands of laid-off construction workers left the field or retired. Add to that the fact that Baby Boomers are retiring and fewer high school graduates are entering the field.
“The Construction Users Council predicted the industry will experience a shortage of 2 million construction workers by 2017, which makes it essential for the industry to educate young people early on about the opportunities available in construction so we can continue to cultivate innovation and keep the field moving forward,” said Mike McNally, president and CEO of Skanska USA. “Skanska is proud to support Trilogy publications and sponsor the book “Those Amazing Builders,” which is an incredibly creative effort to expose the next generation to the construction industry.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the next decade will see a dramatic uptrend in construction industry employment. Jobs for industry professionals such as architects, construction managers, engineers, and construction laborers are expected to show double digit increases between 2010 and 2020 according to the Bureau of Labor statistics, with some segments of the industry expected to increase by as much as 24 percent during that timeframe.
“Construction is—and has always been—an integral part of our society and economy, and is often overlooked by young people considering careers,” says Jeffrey M. Levy, President & CEO, RailWorks Corporation. “With the beginnings of the recovery, companies are scrambling to hire experienced construction industry professionals and trade labor—construction work simply can’t be outsourced to foreign countries.”
The launch event kicks off a campaign in the New York metropolitan area and nationally to get the book into schools for use by teachers and guidance counselors. “We are excited about the possibilities of introducing construction career options to young people,” said Rose Reichman, a Trilogy Partner, noting that there have been over 3,500 requests for the book from the NYC Department of Education, and 3,000 from guidance counselors around the country.
School districts, guidance counselors and teachers nationwide can order free copies of “Those Amazing Builders” for their students on Trilogy’s website. The outreach initiative is similar to Trilogy’s successful Adopt-a-School Program for its earlier title, “Those Amazing Engineers,” which has more than 90,000 copies in print, many of which are part of classroom activities in schools. The book also has been widely used in outreach and educational programs of corporations, organizations and universities.
“Over 8 million people in the US are employed in the construction industry. The opportunity and the rewards in the industry are there for today’s young people,” says Reichman. “Students may have little understanding of the world of construction. Yet when they recognize that people in the building industry are working to solve many challenges of our times—delivering safe, secure transportation systems, providing clean water, and supplying clean and affordable energy—their interest and respect for the construction industry grows dramatically.”
Skanska USA was a sponsor of the book at the highest Diamond level, supported by Ingersoll Rand at the Platinum level, RailWorks and Willis Group at the Gold level, and the General Contractors Association of New York, HOK, and the New York Building Congress all at the Silver level.
The book was launched at a reception in Manhattan at the Society of Illustrators on June 26. In attendance were executives from construction and educational organizations and representatives from key leaders in the construction industry that sponsored the book at several different levels. Speakers at the launch included McNally of Skanska USA; Mark Schustek, End User Sales, Security Technologies Americas, Ingersoll Rand; Richard T. Anderson, President, New York Building Congress; and Denise Richardson, Managing Director, General Contractors Association of New York.
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Trilogy Publications LLC is a partnership of communicators whose mission is to encourage students to seek rewarding career paths and introduce them to fields they might otherwise overlook. “Those Amazing Builders” is the third in Trilogy’s “Those Amazing…” series, which includes “Those Amazing Scientists” and “Those Amazing Engineers.” The series was written by Charlotte Forbes, an award-winning author with a 25-year track record of business writing on topics that include architecture, sustainable development, engineering and construction. Her fiction is included in the “O. Henry Awards” (1999), and her first novel, “The Good Works of Ayela Linde” was recognized in “Kirkus Review’s Best of 2006.” Other members of the Trilogy partnership include Mark Lo Bello, President and Creative Director, DSE and Dean Pillion, Associate Creative Director, Merck Creative Services, both of whom have produced creative materials for major engineering and construction firms, as well as for the nation's largest corporations. Trilogy partners Rose Reichman, President of Reichman Frankle Inc. (RFI), an award-winning marketing and public relations firm, and Rena Frankle, a former principal of RFI, have applied their expertise to develop marketing and informational materials and programs for the engineering and construction industry.
