Aecon was today named as the sponsor of the second annual Kids in Construction competition.

The event, organised by the Construction Association of Bermuda, will be held from March 10 to 16 at Slat House, Botanical Gardens. It is a design and build competition open to all middle and high school students.

High school students will be tasked with designing, planning, budgeting and building a garden gazebo. Middle school students will be challenged to design and build mailboxes. Gazebos and mailboxes will be auctioned to raise money for the CAOB Scholarship Fund.

This competition has been organised to enhance the collaborative effort of students, instructors, parents, construction business owners and operators, media, government and unions to create a better awareness of trades and applied technologies training in Bermuda.

Students currently enrolled in applied technology (trades) courses and those interested in following a career in construction will be given an opportunity to showcase their abilities to a national audience.

Charles Dunstan, president, Construction Association of Bermuda, said: “One of our goals is to help remove the misconception that construction related careers are only for those who are not academically inclined. We want to inspire young people to think of construction, design and engineering as an exciting potential career choice and that it is possible to reconcile creativity with practicality.

“We would like to thank Aecon for providing a $10,000 donation towards this event and supporting our goal of supporting youth studying in construction, design and engineering.”

Frank Ross, Aecon’s Executive Director, Infrastructure, says: “We are thrilled once again to be one of the sponsors of the Kids in Construction competition. One of your goals is to raise awareness about the careers available in construction and design, as they can be very rewarding. We look forward to seeing the entries the students create.