Students and alumni interested in participating in the EIA Matchmaker Program can find more info here.
Matchmaker Program - partner Companies
The demand for engineering, construction, and architecture talent is growing, and recruiting top talent from universities is competitive, expensive, and time-consuming.
Dodge Data & Analytics reports that construction starts will increase by 33% by the end of 2026 and the College Recruiter reports that the average cost-per-hire for on-campus recruiting is $6,110.
To address these growing challenges in the AEC industry, EIA is pleased to introduce the…
The goal of the EIA Matchmaker Program is to provide AEC companies with new and more effective opportunities to recruit diverse and emerging engineering student-leaders from universities, while simultaneously providing companies and their staff with opportunities to participate in integrated external engagement opportunities.
Annually on average, EIA engages several hundred university students from over 25 university chapters to design and build critical infrastructure projects in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Eswatini.
Students create the engineering design, drawing set, material and cost estimates, construction schedule, risk mitigation plans, and more, before spending part of their summer living and working alongside community members to complete the project construction.
This combination of design-build experience and cross-cultural exchange supplements what students learn in the classroom. Beyond gaining skills in technical design and project management, students learn teamwork, leadership, and cross-cultural competency. Students grow into better leaders, collaborators, communicators, empathizers, adaptors, and problem-solvers. And they want to work for a great company like yours.
Hire students who already have design-build experience.
Throughout the 2023-2024 academic year, EIA is seeking a limited number of companies in the AEC industry to pilot this new and exciting corporate partnership program.
“The most valuable lesson I learned is simply how much I’ve grown in my leadership skills, technical skills, soft skills, character, and my overall person….I can take ownership of a project and make informed decisions on my own. I have developed an eye for detail and can think critically on the fly to catch things that don’t look quite right and discuss with my teammates on how to fix it. I can think technically and make quality control or construction or design decisions. The list goes on and on but I have never learned SO much from any other single project.”
“Every opportunity to be involved is an honour - to be chosen to support and help a group of young engineers progress their studies and their career aspirations and also to be part of a group to help a community somewhere who are less fortunate and leave something which will improve the quality of their lives is not something that can be measured. It is something I look forward to every time.”
“As an alumnus of the Bridge Program I believe that these types of projects are very valuable in the development of young engineers as they will challenge the students in ways that are simply not possible in the classroom. Seeing the growth of the students throughout the academic year is always a delight. Seeing them gain confidence and technical skills is very rewarding.”
Sign your company up now!
Complete the form and a member from our team will be in touch with you.
“It was striking to see how much I have learned and grown in confidence as a construction professional since my last bridge build. I felt more confident making decisions. Being involved in this project made me think of myself more confidently as a construction professional. I am excited to be in the construction industry and continue working on impactful projects. It was meaningful to apply my industry experience on a EIA project.”
Get your company involved!
Are you an alumnus of the EIA Bridge Program? Do you want to get your company involved as a Matchmaker founding partner?
If so, then download the Matchmaker Marketing Toolkit by clicking on the button below to gain access to the tools and resources you need to engage your company!
