F.E. Moran, Northbrook, Ill., is working with the Mechanical Contractors Association in Chicago to encourage college students to pursue careers in the construction and mechanical engineering fields.

Students from Illinois State University, Bradley University, and Milwaukee School of Engineering who are members of the MCAA student chapter are invited to join F.E. Moran in a series of lunch and learn, hand-on learning experiences.

Students who take advantage of the program, join the F.E. Moran team for lunch and learn more about the construction industry. Following the lunch and learn, students are given personal protective equipment (PPE) and tour the sheet metal shop to watch a sheet metal worker cut a giant piece of sheet metal. The students then use the sheet metal pieces to build a box using the shop tools. Through this program, students are better able to understand the mechanical field. Additionally, they are given the opportunity to bring a resume to apply to internships, or, upon graduation, a job opening.

In addition to the hands-on program, to continue the encouragement of young people joining the construction and mechanical field, F.E. Moran began the Owen Moran Scholarship. For over eighty years, the Moran family has been passionate about mechanical engineering. Owen Moran’s enthusiasm for the field spurred the scholarship in his honor. It’s awarded to two candidates each year to encourage a new generation to pursue the construction industry.

Charlotte Flesher, vice president of F.E. Moran, is the driving force behind the program. Without her drive to build relationships with schools and encourage young people to join the industry, the program wouldn’t be as successful as it has become. She said, “We need to give the next generation our greatest gift of knowledge and kindness, so that they may be given the opportunity to learn and prosper in the construction industry.” In addition to encouraging a new generation of construction professionals, she provides an excellent example of the opportunity for women in the construction industry that may otherwise seem non-existent.