Mega Burger or Mega Project? DPR's Build Up High School Interns Opt for Summer on the Jobsite

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Jul 17, 2024, 11:01 ET

Teen career development program grows 42% in 2024 with 38 students working across Company's US markets

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., July 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- DPR Construction, one of the nation's top technical builders, has welcomed 38 participants to its Build Up High School Intern Program, the largest cohort since the program began in 2017 and a 42% increase in participation compared to 2023.

The program gives eligible high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to spend their summers working side by side with skilled project teams on major construction projects. Participants get the same experience as college-aged interns, learning about managing multi-million-dollar projects, the technology powering construction planning, schedule and design while also learning about the variety of roles and career paths in construction. Build Up is an eight-week program that pays participants weekly at hourly rates. Out of 154 participants in the program to date, five have been hired as full time DPR employees and 25% have continued with the company as college interns.

"In my first Build Up internship, I worked with project engineers, superintendents, safety managers and more on a Seattle project," said Selome Muruts, a returning Seattle-based DPR Build Up intern. "I initiated conversations with these people, not knowing what to expect, but I received willing mentorship. It's clear DPR's values run deep, and I wanted to return to experience that dynamic on the office-side. This summer, I am back for my second internship working with Preconstruction and Virtual Design and Construction teams. I applied for the DPR internship out of curiosity for the industry, but I came back because of my admiration for the company."

"Build Up is designed as a program to help broaden possibilities for talented high schoolers who are often going to be the first in their families to go to college," said Diane Shelton, DPR's community initiatives leader. "Participant cohorts are also more diverse than our industry as a whole, which we hope will contribute to a shift as we welcome a new generation into AEC. They can help the construction workforce of the future look more like the communities we serve."

Build Up interns are in every DPR location in the United States. The success of the program is featured in DPR's first Global Social Responsibility (GSR) annual report, highlighting the company's philanthropy and progress toward sustainability and diversity goals, including efforts to increase supplier diversity.

About DPR Construction
DPR Construction is a forward-thinking, self-performing general contractor and construction manager specializing in technically complex and sustainable projects for the advanced technology, life sciences, healthcare, higher education and commercial markets. DPR's portfolio of work ranges from large-scale new construction to small tenant improvements and special projects. Founded in 1990, DPR is a great story of entrepreneurial success as a private, employee-owned company that has grown to a multi-billion-dollar organization with offices around the world. The company is strategically focused on delivering more predictable outcomes through applications of virtual design & construction, prefabrication, its team of self-perform craft, and leveraging data to learn and improve from. DPR consistently ranks among the top building contractors and employs approximately 11,000 professionals across its family of companies. For more information, visit http://www.dpr.com.

For more information, please contact:

Jay Weisberger
DPR Construction
[email protected]

SOURCE DPR Construction