Howard Strong Scholarship – SICA's Annual Scholarship Program

BUILD YOUR
CAREER IN CONSTRUCTION

TEN $1000 Scholarships to help you build your career in construction.

Scholarship
Program

The SICA Howard Strong Scholarship Program was developed to promote post-secondary education in the construction industry. The scholarship can be applied to tuition, textbooks, and/or other educational purposes for entry into a construction trades apprenticeship or related program.

# of Construction Companies in BC

$ 57647

Average Yearly Wage of BC Construction Employee

# of construction jobs that will be unfilled in BC due to labour shortages by 2028

*Statistics from the BC Construction Association Spring 2019 Stat Pack

Available Scholarships

Each year SICA gives out ten $1,000 scholarships to individuals in the following categories.

Member Employee Scholarship

Student Scholarship

Industry Entrance Scholarship

Member Employee Scholarship

The SICA member employee scholarship applicant must be currently working for a SICA member company or be a family member of an employee working for a SICA member company.

4 scholarships are given to SICA Member employees.

Student Scholarship

The SICA student scholarship applicant must be currently attending an educational institution with plans to work in the construction industry; including High School and College/University students. Proof of enrollment will be required.

3 scholarships are given to students each year.

Industry Entrance Scholarship

The SICA industry entrance scholarship applicant must have proof of enrollment into a construction trades apprenticeship or related program.

3 Industry Entrance scholarships are given out each year.

Criteria

Regardless of category, all applicants must be a permanent resident within the Southern Interior region of British Columbia. To enter, all applicants will be required to provide:

An essay demonstrating interest and involvement in the Construction Industry
A letter of reference from a current employer or instructor. Individuals applying for the Employee Award must submit a letter of reference from a current SICA member

The content of your essay and/or video should aim to address the following questions:

Why did you choose to pursue a career in construction?
How will you use your studies to better our region?
What are the barriers facing students wishing to pursue a career in construction?
Where do you see the construction industry in 10 years?

Application Process

The deadline to apply for the Howard Strong Scholarship is May 30th of each year.

Fill out the application form online or download from this website
Complete steps 1-6 of the application and attach necessary documents
Carefully review and sign the Terms and Conditions (Step 6 of application)
Submit the online application or email to education@sicabc.ca

Selection Process

All applications will be evaluated based on:

Academic Achievement (10 points)
Extracurricular Activity (35 points)
Essay/Video Answers (55 points)

Total: 100 points

All answers (essay or video) will be graded on:

Content (20 points)
Communication (15 points)
Creativity (10 points)
Overall Presentation (10 points)

Total: 55 points

Applicants will be forwarded to the Education Committee by May 30th
Successful applicants will be notified by August 15th

Reference Letter

The SICA Education Committee relies upon the recommendations and information provided to them by referees and the quality and accuracy of each reference is very important to the candidate’s application.

You can upload a reference letter in the scholarship application or you can have your reference fill out the Reference Letter form.

Please have your reference answer the following questions:

How long you have known the applicant and in what capacity.
A description of the applicant’s personal character, from your perspective.
Any special circumstances or achievements the referee thinks the selection committee should consider.
Description of the applicant’s interest in the pursuit of a career in the construction industry.