BYC Aug ’19 “Contractors in the Classroom” Profile: A Quick Start Guide
BYC Aug '19 "Contractors in the Classroom" Profile: A Quick Start Guide
It’s hard to believe that our summer is almost over and school is already back in session. Now that tomorrow’s workers are back in school today, there’s no time like the present to start planning your school and classroom visits as a BYC Ambassador!
To make this process even easier for our employers and Ambassadors, please review this quick start guide to learn everything you need to know to prepare and plan your BYC “Contractors in the Classroom” school visits.
Step One: Nominate a few of your employees to serve as BYC Ambassadors on behalf of your company
Designate a point of contact to serve as your company’s liaison for the BYC Director
Determine how often these employees can conduct school/class visits
Try to choose employees with a variety of roles/jobs and at various levels
Ambassador registration form available here
Step Two: Choose Your Schools
BYC has partnered with over 390 K-12 schools in the Carolinas. Employers can choose to send their participating Ambassador representatives to either elementary, middle or high schools to conduct their industry outreach. Start by:
Determining the parameters of your outreach area & choose the schools you would like to engage with as an Ambassador
You can choose one school or multiple within a district or just concentrate on establishing continuity with one class by visiting on a regular basis
Step Three: Coordinate with the BYC Director
Once you have determined who your company Ambassadors will be & selected your schools, the BYC Director will assist you in mapping out your plan of action by:
Contacting your chosen school to determine any necessary requirements that need to be fulfilled prior to the start of your visits
(i.e. background checks, waivers signed, review of presentation materials, etc.)
Coordinating your first round of visits with your chosen school
(this would only be for your intial visits & determining frequency/duration of visits will be based on the availability of your company Ambassadors & the needs of the schools–info you will provide to BYC during Step One)
Conducting Ambassador orientation to review the process with your chosen employees
Assisting with the preparation & development of a project-based learning (PBL) activity to implement into your presentation
(PBL’s should be reflective of your area of expertise, age-appropriate, time-sensitive if necessary, safe, etc.)
Step Four: Customize Your Presentations
There are multiple resources now available to assist employers & BYC Ambassadors better tailor their classroom presentations to best represent their companies needs & to best reflect their particular area of expertise within the construction industry. All Ambassadors are highly encouraged to customize the resources & presentation materials by:
Inserting their company logo and contact info
Replacing images with pics of their own building projects
Deleting or adding new slides to PPT's as needed
Adding in career pathway info specific to their company/trade
Advertising available job openings, internships or apprenticeships within their company
Incorporating more quiz questions or interactive components
Step Five: Incorporating Project-based Learning Activities
It is highly recommended, when possible and time allows, to incorporate some type of hands-on, interactive project-based learning activity into the class presentations. Direction on what types of activities will generally come from each individual school and will vary from school-to-school. When determining what type of activity to conduct during visits, please consider:
Safety of students at all times
Showcasing challenging, yet fun activities that tie in with your company & the type of work you specialize in on a regular basis
Any necessary project supplies you may need
(will your company need to supply all materials, or will you use some of the existing materials and resources the school provides?)
Designing a few different types of PBL’s
(shorter, easier projects if your presentation time is limited, more involved projects for longer presentation times, PBL’s that incorporate graduating levels of difficulty or challenge for different age groups/skillsets of students, etc.)
Implementing a semester-long PBL
(great for Ambassadors who adopt a class & establish regular/ongoing visits; consider a PBL that will result in a final tangible product)
Taking pics/video of the students in action while performing their PBL’s & send those to the BYC Director to publish on our website/newsletter
(keep in mind some schools might not allow photography/videos)
The key takeaway here is that it’s super easy, fun and a huge benefit to our industry to adopt a class/school and begin conducting your “Contractors in the Classroom” visits as a BYC Ambassador! Once your company decides to get actively involved, your BYC Director will be here every step of the way to make sure all your company employees volunteering as Ambassadors feel 100% comfortable and prepared as they promote construction career awareness to future generations of workers. Once you’ve established your Ambassador’s availability, the BYC Director has scheduled your initial school visits and we’ve mapped out the framework of your presentations, all the hard work is complete, and the real fun then begins!
For more information on the CAGC Foundation’s Build Your Career workforce development initiative, our Contractors in the Classroom program, to volunteer to become a BYC Ambassador or to request your own onsite customized Ambassador training session, please visit our website or contact Betsy Bailey, via email at BBailey@CarolinasAGC.org or by phone at (704) 372-1450.To make a charitable contribution to BYC, please visit our secure online donation portal.
