To ensure the next generation of electrical project managers possesses the necessary expertise and receives the proper training before entering the job market, Rosendin Electric, San Jose, Calif., is working with construction management students from six universities to help them prepare for the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Competition.
Every year, ASC sponsors the Annual ASC Student Competition where students from Region 6 and 7 compete for a trophy and monetary prize. To win, each team of six students must complete a complex construction problem, preparing a comprehensive proposal for a design-build construction project. Until recently, the competition hadn’t provided a problem specific to electrical construction. When the ASC added an electrical construction problem in 2008, Rosendin Electric stepped in with a comprehensive training program designed to help students by applying practical experience and expertise to address their design-build problem.
“Participation in ASC will not only provide the contractor with highest level of competing graduates, but also showcase the efforts of the construction contractors’ competition for graduates,” says Richard Wilder, Rosendin Electric’s human resources manager. “The construction industry is as competitive for talent as it is for projects. The leaders in the industry understand that an early proactive effort to cultivate an interest in our industry at the college and even the high school level is required.”
Rosendin Electric has worked with students from Arizona State University; Boise State University; California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; California State University (CSU), Chico; California State University (CSU), Sacramento; and Purdue University. The company hosts students and professors in a full day of training at its headquarters, offering expert advice and training on project management, estimating, contracts, manpower, safety protocols, and other issues related to the proposed construction problem.
The Western Region Competition attracts 1,200 students from 70 schools. With the help of Rosendin Electric’s training, this year’s electrical competition for Regions 6 and 7 was won by CSU Sacramento, and CSU Chico took third place.
