Career Development at MCAA

Competition, Chapter of the Year and Educator of the Year Awarded at MCAA2008

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MCERF Grants Available for Student Internships, Student Chapters

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A Look Back at the 2007 – 2008 Student Chapter Competition RFP The Mechanical Contractors Association of America, Inc. (MCAA), through its Career Development Committee, sponsored a competition for its student chapters, culminating in the awards presented at the MCAA2008 convention in March, 2008. Here is a look back at the requirements that the chapters fulfilled to get them to the competition: The purpose of the competition was to provide chapter members with an experience that would enrich their education by challenging their problem-solving and management skills, technical acumen, creativity, resourcefulness, and knowledge of mechanical systems. Students gained valuable experience in working with a team of peers against a schedule, preparing a written proposal, and planning and delivering an oral presentation of the proposal. The project was based upon an actual project for which competitive proposals were solicited. MCAA adapted the original plans for its 2007-2008 Student Chapter Competition. MCAA extends its sincere appreciation to the J.F. Ahern Company for allowing the use of its project and providing the information and accompanying technical drawings. Special thanks go to James Jarvis and Craig Bahr for their assistance with this competition. Below, we have provided all of the documents related to the project.   For Help on the Competition's Green Components All student chapters participating in the competition were encouraged to visit MCAA's new greencontractors.us website for resources on green and sustainable construction which they found helpful for the project. Documents Related to the Project RFI - Updated 11/5/2007 Trane Product Data Sheets Referenced in RFI - Updated 11/1/2007 RFP - Updated 10/1/2007 Competition Rules Bid Breakdown Drawings Related to Project A-101 A-102 A-103 A-121 A-201 A-202 A-301 A-303 A-304 A-601 C-101 C-102 G-001 G-002 G-100 G-101 M1 P4 of P4 Questions? Please contact Ann Mattheis at amattheis@mcaa.org.

2007 Student Chapter Summit Rocks Cleveland

About 200 attendees--including student chapter members, faculty advisors, local association executives and staff, and contractors--came to MCAA's 2007 Student Chapter Summit to learn, network, and compete. The event opened with welcome remarks by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and a presentation by MCAA President Dave Kruse about the career opportunities emerging through our industry's embracing of green and sustainable construction. Sessions on the greening of HVAC equipment (led by engineering consultant Nick Collins of PAE Engineering Consultants, Portland, OR) and General Conditions of the Contract and Other Proposal Traps (Ken Durr of Durr Mechanical Construction, Inc., New York, N.Y. and Prof. Keith Rahn of Illinois State University, Normal, IL) received rave reviews from students and more seasoned professionals. Students also competed in the annual mini competition, a favorite annual event. The 2007-2008 Student Chapter Competition was announced, the expansion of J.F. Ahern's headquarters in Fond du Lac, WI, with green and sustainable construction features. The tour of the UA Local 120/MCA of Cleveland Joint Apprenticeship Training Center gave most students a first look at how pipe is fitted, welded, installed and tested. Capping the event was an evening at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Many thanks to our generous sponsors MCA of Cleveland (Tom Wanner, executive director), ERICO, Inc., Mueller Industries, Inc., Sloan Valve Company, Trane, Viega, LLC, and Zurn Industries, Inc. Special thanks to MCAA Vice President Lonnie Coleman for his assistance with plans and arrangements. Contact Ann Mattheis at amattheis@mcaa.org for information about MCAA's Student Chapters program.

• Get Consulting Engineer Nick Collins' Presentation on the Greening of HVAC Equipment
• Find Out More About General Conditions and Other Proposal Traps in Ken Durr and Prof. Keith Rahn's Presentation

MCAA Joins ACE Mentor Program

MCAA has become a national board of directors member of the ACE Mentor Program, a national program that introduces and educates high school students about the construction industry and the career opportunities that it offers. Founded in 1994 by Charles H. Thornton, world-renowned structural engineer and co-owner of New York-based Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., ACE Mentor reaches into urban high schools and matches teams of interested students with mentors from the architecture, construction and engineering industries (hence, the name ACE) who expose the students to the building industry through regular after-school meetings, visits to their offices and project sites, and competitions. ACE encourages qualified students to further their education in college or technical schools and offers scholarships to help them. MCAA’s student chapter program is uniquely positioned to further its own and ACE Mentor’s goals by matching mentors from MCAA student chapters with nearby ACE high schools. MCAA and ACE are already making plans to develop and test a model for this program over the next year. For more information about ACE, please contact Dennis Langley at dlangley@mcaa.org, Ann Mattheis at amattheis@mcaa.org or ACE Mentor executive director Pamela Mullender at pmullender@acementor.org.

MCAA's Careers Website Is for YOU!

• An MCAA/MSCA/PCA contractor . . .
  looking for talented, well-educated college graduates to fill summer internship positions
• A local MCAA affiliate representative . . .
  trying to interest and involve young people in the specialty trades industry
• The college professor or instructor . . .
  looking for information and/or ideas to enhance a mechanical engineering course, curriculum, or program

This is where you'll get the latest news about MCAA student chapters across the U.S., information about establishing a new chapter, and great ideas about how to keep an existing program vital, relevant, and exciting. Check our list of contacts for contractors, faculty advisors and students who will share their chapter ideas, experiences, and success stories.

This is where prospective student interns and prospective employers can meet. We've created a special page where MCAA contractors in the mechanical, service, and plumbing business can post their company's available internship opportunities. It's easy for contractors to use and even easier for students to find just the right intern position.

This is where you'll find Career Development tools and resources to help you recruit the most talented, well-educated young people into your business.

Note: Throughout this site you'll find this icon or references to "PDF" files. This indicates that the document is being provided in the Adobe Acrobat format. To use these documents, you will need to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader from from Adobe's site.