Central

About Us

Started in 2004 by six York County building industry firms, the Central Pennsylvania ACE program introduces local high school students to the wide range of career opportunities available in architecture, construction and engineering. Working with industry professionals, students participate as teams on projects that give them hands-on experience planning and designing cutting-edge buildings.

Teams also tour the offices of architects, engineers and contractors, as well as construction sites, materials manufacturing plants and other facilities. Through this approach, participants gain perspective on the industry’s career potential, while obtaining expert advice and making personal contacts that can help with career planning, college admissions, internships and full-time employment.

Our future plans include the addition of a Hershey/Harrisburg program in the fall of 2007 and a Lancaster program the following year.

Our Projects

In 2006-2007, each of our teams designed a restaurant – one with a music theme, the other with a movie motif. Each team had to consider existing site conditions, square footage, stormwater regulations and other key factors.

Mentors helped students produce architectural boards, traffic diagrams, hand-built models and computerized “fly-through” 3-D renderings. These were presented at an end-of-year ceremony attended by 250 participants, mentors, parents, and school administrators and faculty. At the conclusion, we awarded $5,500 in scholarships to 11 students.

Participate in ACE!

If you’d like to experience ACE’s challenges, opportunities and rewards for yourself, just contact the ACE leader listed in the upper right-hand corner of this page.