
Better Places, Brighter Futures: Lendlease’s involvement in the ACE Mentorship Program
Since 2005, Lendlease has been engaged with ACE Mentor Program of America, a not-for-profit organization that helps prepare high school students for careers in design and construction. The after-school initiative has a special focus on minority and female students; groups that are significantly under-represented in the construction and design industry.
- 9 Mar 2022
- by
- Lendlease Author Better Places
For the last 17 years, Lendlease employees have volunteered their time with more than 600 high school students across our gateway cities, with several ACE alumni becoming Lendlease employees! Tamanna Islam, Project Manager for our Chicago construction team, is one such success story, joining Lendlease after first hearing about the company through the ACE program.
“ACE gave me a scholarship, which made a huge difference. Without that scholarship I would have gone down a different path, possibly would not have ended up at Lendlease, a leading global construction company.”
Lendlease is proud to not only be an active participant in the program, but to support the ACE program in more ways than one. In 2019, the Lendlease Foundation (LLF) through its External Partnerships program supported ACE in the re-design of their educational curriculum to help guide mentors in developing lesson plans for students.
Last year, LLF External Partnerships funded the development of ACE’s student resources portal on their website: “The new portal will better serve thousands of students nationwide by connecting them with ACE alumni, providing information on scholarships and how to further their career interests in these fields,” said Diana Eidenshink, President of ACE.
Lendlease is promoting workforce opportunities in communities where we operate to connect people to jobs in our sector, and where feasible, on Lendlease projects. Partnership efforts such as the one with ACE are building the future generations of designers, developers and builders we need to create the best places to live, work and play in.
Monica Berg, a Lendlease Assistant Project Manager based in Chicago, serves as a mentor for the program, playing an active role in developing these future generations: “Taking kids who are skeptical about construction and getting them excited about it is super fun…it's rewarding when students actually care and you see their project come together.”
It’s clear to see the resounding impact the ACE program has on not only the lives of the students, but of the mentors too. Matt Soucy, Project Manager of Construction in our Chicago office shared: “I have been an ACE mentor for 5 years and it’s incredibly rewarding to share my professional experience at Lendlease and in the industry with ACE students.”
Despite challenges with COVID-19, our offices have continued mentoring and volunteering ACE students virtually. After a year of virtual programming, ACE will be returning to in-person meetings which will begin in February 2022. Lendlease looks forward to partnering with the ACE program for many years to come, as we strive to develop a diverse and inclusive network for future generations of construction professionals.
To learn more about the ACE Mentor Program and how you can get involved, click here!