PEARL ― Career and technical education students across Mississippi are being challenged to put their creative skills to the test during the Building Futures Construction Competition.

Organized by the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation, the competition invites Mississippi CTE construction and manufacturing programs for grades 9-12 to build projects of their choice using wood or metal. Entries will be judged on April 15, during the MCEF SkillsUSA State Competition at the Mississippi Trade Mart in Jackson.

“This isn’t just a competition — it’s a celebration of the many ways modern CTE programs are preparing students for stable, rewarding futures,” MCEF President Mike Barkett said. “Previous entries reflected hope, optimism, ambition and aspirations of our students’ futures. And based on the concepts we’re hearing about this year, the future certainly looks bright.”

The top teams in the two categories (wood and metal) will be awarded $1,000 cash prizes for their school programs. They also may advertise and sell their projects at the MCEF SkillsUSA competition.

There is no entry fee, and teams must register by Oct. 31 to participate. Full contest guidelines are available at www.mcef.net/events/buildyourfuture.phtml.

The competition announcement coincides with National Careers in Construction Month in October. Led in Mississippi by MCEF, the annual, month-long initiative focuses on statewide efforts to combat shortages of craft professionals by ensuring that more students have access to modern, high-quality CTE training programs.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction occupations are projected to grow 11 percent through 2026. The BLS also reports that nearly 200,000 construction jobs in the U.S. were unfilled at the start of 2019 — a trend that’s being felt in Mississippi.

“By 2020, Mississippi will need more than 80,000 craft professionals to meet the needs of the state’s growing construction industry,” Barkett said. “MCEF is working to ensure that students throughout Mississippi have access to high-quality training programs that will prepare them to pursue career opportunities in construction and other growing industries.”

Learn more about MCEF at http://mcef.net. “Careers in Construction Month” is an initiative of the National Center for Construction Education & Research and Build Your Future ― see http://byf.org for details.