{"id":16172,"date":"2023-04-27T16:08:24","date_gmt":"2023-04-27T23:08:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/maryland-contractor-pens-childrens-book-to-promote-trades\/"},"modified":"2023-04-27T16:08:24","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T23:08:24","slug":"maryland-contractor-pens-childrens-book-to-promote-trades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/maryland-contractor-pens-childrens-book-to-promote-trades\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland contractor pens children\u2019s book to promote trades"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The construction industry faces a stark shortage of workers, but programs and people across the country are working at the local level to solve the problem. This series highlights the grassroots efforts helping to recruit the next generation of construction pros.\u00a0Read previous entries here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A Salisbury, Maryland-based general contractor is taking a different approach to its recruitment literature.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To better inform young people about a career in the trades, Chris Eccleston, founder and CEO of Delmarva Veteran Builders, and Jenny Kerr Schroen, the firm\u2019s creative developer and graphic designer, have written and are publishing a children\u2019s adventure book.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGrit Leads to Greatness\u201d uses the same title as Delmarva Veteran Builders\u2019 tagline, one Eccleston and Schroen say captures the way the company approaches its work. Seeing the large labor gap the industry continues to face while the GC\u2019s subcontractor base started to diminish spurred Eccleston to act, he said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe decided we need to do something about this to engage people, get them interested in the construction trades where we are,\u201d he told Construction Dive.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The story<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

Geared toward kids aged 6 to 12 years old, \u201cGrit Leads to Greatness\u201d tells the story of Trig and Teigan, siblings who live in a decaying city that has forgotten how to build, as its citizens are hypnotized by glowing stones they carry.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Over the course of about 40 pages, the siblings go on an adventure, encountering an ogre mason, a snow gnome (or snome) carpenter, an amphibious plumber and \u201cthe electrician magician.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Penned by Eccleston and Schroen with illustrations by Justin Donaldson and Rachel Danae, the book seeks to get kids from 2nd to 5th grade excited about various jobs in the construction trades.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Schroen said she took inspiration from projects from her childhood.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was 10 years old, there was a whole push to teach about saving the planet \u2026 so they actually used cartoons to convey the message and to show kids that they actually could save the world,\u201d she said. \u201cThere were cartoons called \u2018Captain Planet\u2019 and movies like \u2018FernGully\u2019 that worked really trying to shape the way kids solve the planet, and I personally was moved by that. And I actually took that idea about how I felt as a 10-year-old and applied it to this.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Thus far, the book has been read in front of about 2,000 elementary school kids, and Eccleston and Schroen are pleased with the reception and feedback from teachers and parents, they said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to the reading events, they hired live action characters and a costume company to make what Eccleston called \u201cmovie-quality costumes\u201d for actors to wear and interact with kids.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The book is available for pre-order, and will go on sale in June. Schroen and Eccleston used a hybrid self-publishing model, partnering with Mascot Books in Herndon, Virginia.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The message<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

\u201cI think the industry has an image problem, and it\u2019s not with kids; kids love construction,\u201d Eccleston said.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

He, like many, has seen decades of educational institutions pushing students toward college or other higher education, while construction has become \u201csecond class\u201d or \u201can alternative route,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

An important aspect to the effort, Schroen said, isn\u2019t trying to make each kid suddenly pursue construction as their dream job, but rather ensure it doesn\u2019t become merely a backup option.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not just trying to create new construction workers, we\u2019re trying to make advocates for the industry,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n