Build the Future awards to expand to 15 schools in 2027

This past spring, ASM introduced our Build the Future Awards with a simple goal: to recognize graduating vocational students who are choosing careers in the construction trades, and to let them know the industry is ready to welcome them. Six schools took part in the program’s first year, and at each one, a deserving student received a $500 award presented in person by ASM staff and board members. When we shared that story in these pages in June, we said we hoped to bring the program to more schools across the Commonwealth. We are proud to report that this has become a plan.

In 2027, the Build the Future Awards will expand to 15 vocational-technical high schools, more than doubling the program’s reach in just its second year. The new roster of schools was built to reach students across Massachusetts, with schools selected geographically based on suggestions from ASM’s board and committee members, many of whom have deep ties to the vocational programs in their own regions.

The reason for our rapid growth is straightforward: the first year showed us how much these awards matter. School administrators told us how hard it can be for their students to get started after graduation, and how meaningful it was to see an industry organization step forward on their behalf. Standing in those ceremonies alongside students, families, and educators made the workforce challenge feel less like a statistic and more like a responsibility. Fifteen schools means fifteen students who will hear, at a pivotal moment, that their chosen career is valued.

The format will stay the same. Each participating school will select one graduating student who shows excellence, commitment, and promise in their trade, and ASM representatives will again present the awards in person at the end-of-year ceremonies where applicable. Those visits remain one of the most rewarding parts of the program, both for the students and for the industry members who get to meet them.

None of this happens without support. The Build the Future Awards are funded in part by ASM members and by the success of our annual golf tournament, and sustaining the program’s growth will depend on that support continuing. Companies interested in helping are encouraged to reach out to ASM.

Workforce development is one piece of a broader commitment. Through advocacy, education, safety resources, and networking, ASM works every day to help specialty contractors stay strong and competitive. If your firm is not yet a member, we invite you to learn more at https://www.associatedsubs.com/ and join us in building the future of our industry.

Jim Welch is the CEO/executive director of the Associated Subcontractors of Mass., Boston.