Seeking Volunteers for the 2022 HLSR ICC Committee

The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo’s Industrial Craft Competition (ICC) was created in 2019 to aid high schools in developing or improving their industrial CTE program offering to students, giving them a glimpse of what a career in industrial construction or fabrication entails. The ICC committee is in the process of recruiting 20 school districts to participate in the 2022 competition. These schools will be ready to receive competition material and begin the project at the beginning of the Fall 2021 semester. This, for them, is a six-month project culminating in their skid being judged at the 2022 rodeo. Due to the doubling of the number of schools from last year’s competition, the committee needs additional volunteers to help mentor the schools this next season. 

Please review the following volunteer positions. All who are interested, qualified and can commit to serve as an ICC volunteer should send his or her resume to [email protected] to apply. The committee will be reviewing resumes received via this email address and will contact you if more information is necessary. Only resumes received via this email will be considered. Please note: All volunteers must be a minimum of 21 years old and must become a member of the HLSR should you be selected to serve.  Volunteer selections will close when the committee is complete, no later than August 1st, 2021. Volunteers are expected to serve from onboarding through the end of the 2022 rodeo.

The following volunteer positions are available:

• School Project Manager or Assistant School Project Manager (SPM or ASPM) – This is a new position within the committee. The SPM/ASPM volunteer will be tasked with coordinating all aspects of the competition with the assigned schools. They will communicate with Project Captains to ensure mentors are fulfilling their duties and that the schools are progressing to completion.  The SPM/ASPM will also serve as the liaison to the school instructors, school administration and/or CTE Directors for purposes of relationship building, communication and future participation. The SPM/ASPM will track the overall progress of their assigned schools and report as required to their Captain. The SPM/ASPM will not give direction to school instructors nor to students. The SPM/ASPM will report to the Captain or Assistant Captain of Mentors. They will assist with special requests for equipment and material needs. The Assistant School Project Manager (ASPM) will report to their assigned SPM, fulfilling the necessary support that the SPM may request. Desired volunteer attributes include: 1. Safety focus 2. Relevant industrial project management or coordination experience 3. Flexibility to visit the school(s) when necessary, which will mostly be during school hours 4. Provide a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer time over the duration of the project.
• School Instruction Mentor (SIM) - The SIM volunteer will be tasked with mentoring the school instructor on all aspects of the project. This includes assisting with the applicable curriculum and pedagogy associated with the aspects of the project, such as hands-on training, reading drawings/plans/ISOS, planning, etc. The SIM will track progress and report to the Captain or Assistant Captain of Mentors. The SIM will not give direction nor instruction directly to students but will only serve as a resource to the instructor. Neither the SIM nor the SIM’s employer are considered sponsors of the school. Desired volunteer attributes include: 1. Safety focus 2. Relevant industrial experience, such as craft training or personal industrial craft construction or fabrication.  Experience in multiple disciplines would be ideal 3. Flexibility to visit the school(s) when necessary, which will be mostly during school hours. 4. Provide a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer time over the duration of the project.
• Project Controls Mentor (PCM) -The PCM volunteer will be the focal point in teaching the school project controls person/team the controls process necessary for a successful project. The PCM will be expected to participate in the preparation of project estimates and budgets for construction activities, oversee the monitoring and updating of schedules (in an Excel format), conducts schedule review meetings with the project scheduler on a regular basis during school hours, assist the project controls team in setting up a system to track man-hours worked, and be available to answers questions on scheduling and estimating via email and in person at their assigned school. The PCM may also provide training in Excel, as needed, for the PC team to use the files necessary to complete their tasks. All interaction will be with the student’s instructor present. Desired volunteer attributes include: 1. Relevant project controls experience in engineering or industrial construction, 2. Basic math skills, 3. Experience with Excel, 4. Flexibility to visit the project during school hours, and 5. Provide a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer time over the duration of the project. 
• School Safety Mentor (SSM) – The SSM volunteer will facilitate all aspects of shop safety for the assigned school.  The school project year will begin with SSM participating in the student safety and project orientation. The SSM will advise the school instructor on the selection of a student safety coordinator for the project. Throughout the project the SSM will be expected to assist the school instructor with safety-related instruction, perform regular shop and project safety inspections, and provide coaching on pre-task planning, hazard recognition and controls, and PPE usage. The SSM volunteer will not give direction to students without an instructor present. The SSM shall coordinate weekly visits to their assigned school with the instructor or CTE director. SSMs will participate in monthly virtual meetings with the Safety Team Captain to discuss any safety related issues or concerns with the project. Desired volunteer attributes include: 1. Minimum CSST certification or equivalent 2. Relevant safety experience in industrial construction or fabrication 3. Flexibility to visit the school(s) when necessary, which will be during school hours 4. Provide a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer time over the duration of the project. 

We are excited about this years competition and look forward to welcoming new schools and new committee members. Please pass along this information to anyone you feel may be interested.

JD Slaughter, Vice Chairman, HLSR ICC Committee