More than a decade before Donald Trump and "The Apprentice" drew a national audience for a real estate career competition, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) created an annual ASC-AGC National Student Competition for undergraduates studying construction, engineering and architecture at ASC-affiliated schools.
Three teams of Roger Williams University construction management students prepared with their coaches to vie on project proposals in three divisions - heavy civil, design-build and commercial.
The heavy civil and design-build teams, won first place in the Region I (Northeast) competition, held Nov. 9-10, in Fairfield, N.J. Winning division teams from seven geographic regions will compete in the 20th annual national student competition, scheduled in conjunction with the March 2008 national AGC conference in Las Vegas.
The long-term shortage of qualified applicants for construction industry jobs is a major reason the AGC cosponsors the competition and the Rhode Island chapter of the Associated General Contractors (RIAGC) contributes to R.I. construction management teams from Roger Williams University. As part of its many workforce development initiatives, the RIAGC helps to support the Roger Williams teams by donating $3,000 each year toward their expenses.