A UK professional body has launched a computer game game to entice a new generation of construction professionals through Minecraft.
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) says there is an urgent need to attract new talent because more than 400,000 UK construction workers are set to retire between 2018 and 2023.
The game, ‘Craft your Future’, lets 12-14-year-olds explore the methods and skills needed to become a construction manager.
In a series of four, free Minecraft Education Lessons, that can be downloaded by teachers anywhere and accessed via the Minecraft Education Platform, students encounter a variety of problems that reflect construction challenges in cities today.
There are 70 million people playing Minecraft and just like Lego it has the capacity to inspire and attract a new wave of construction managers into an ever-increasing digital industry– Bridget Bartlett, CIOB
The lessons take place in Newtown, a specially created virtual city in Minecraft, to design, plan, collaborate and build solutions that develop a sustainable future for all its citizens. Exercises also include real life scenarios like the challenge of restoring Battersea Power Station.
Developed alongside the Gameworkshop from Denmark and the Danish Architecture Centre, each lesson runs between 3 – 6 hours where groups of students usually in teams of 3 or 4 collaborate across the lessons.
The lessons cover four areas of construction, maintenance, restoration, new build and refurbishment.
"Combining Minecraft and a thorough curriculum for the teacher makes for a unique and immersive experience and will help reveal why the industry is important and why a career in construction can be so rewarding," said Bridget Bartlett, deputy chief executive of the CIOB.
"There are 70 million people playing Minecraft and just like Lego it has the capacity to inspire and attract a new wave of construction managers into an ever-increasing digital industry."
She adds: "What is exciting is that these young learners will not only have fun but also develop their communication, team working and mathematics skills; skills that construction has a high demand for."
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Image via Minecraftforum.net
