Inspected, a remote virtual inspection software platform, recently helped introduce California high school students to career opportunities in the construction industry by sponsoring the Construction Industry Education Foundation’s 35th Annual Design Build Competition. More than 800 students from 43 schools in California joined in the opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge of the construction industry and hands-on experience in general construction skills and activities.
“The Design Build Competition has become the premier showcase of high school students’ skills in design, project management and construction. After spending decades building structures in the same parking lot, we are thrilled to be part of the first-ever virtual team competition for CIEF,” said Anthony Perera, founder of Inspected. “Since Inspected is an online platform, it makes sense to partner with CIEF to assist with sponsoring the judging portion of the competition and help get more young people interested in the construction industry.”
As part of the competition, teams worked together to build sheds, playhouses, storage units and agricultural structures, which will be donated to regional nonprofits or sold to help fund their school’s future projects. More than $100,000 worth of materials were provided to the schools free of charge thanks to the generosity of the CIEF and sponsors. To keep students safe and social distancing in place, judges used the software platform to open a secure video conferencing dialogue with the school administrators to review the structure, ask questions and record photos and videos.
“The kids really got excited about the Design Build Competition this year because the event provided a unique opportunity to engage collaboratively in a way they haven’t been able to recently due to the pandemic,” said Chris Lemos, instructor at Linden High School. “It was a real good confidence booster for the students, and good for them mentally to be able to do something together as a team.”
A complete list of the 35th Annual Design Build Competition Winners are below:
- Best of Show-Build Competition: Maple School District
- Best of Show-Design Competition: Sutter Union High School
- Best of Show-Open Competition: Winters High School
- Best of Show-Kitchen Sink Competition: Sundale Union Elementary School District
- Craftsmanship Award: Sultana High School
- People’s Choice: Winters High School
- Architectural Award-Open Competition: Concord High School
- Architectural Award-Design Competition: Live Oak High School
- Honorable Mention: Linden High School
- Wayne Johnson Safety Award: Mason F. Sutter Union High School
- Rookie Team Award: Galt High School
In addition to bragging rights, the winners will be provided with gift cards to Harbor Freight Tools, and a limited number of scholarships will be awarded to participants who are seniors graduating in the spring of 2021 and will be pursuing a career in the built environment. This includes apprenticeship programs, two- and four-year colleges or universities and trades schools.
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