The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is establishing a scholarship program to give Chinese students from low-income families the chance to study a construction-related curriculum at university level.

AEM senior vice president Al Cervero says the association is taking an active role to recruit the "best of the best" to the Chinese industry.

"China's workforce is critical to the success of our members and our industry," Cervero says.

"These scholarships represent opportunities for students who would not otherwise have been able to attend university. To our knowledge, we're the first international trade association to establish such a program in China."

The program is called the AEM/CONEXPO Asia scholarship program. CONEXPO Asia is an annual construction exposition organised by AEM. AEM returns the profits from its trade shows to the industry through initiatives like workforce development. This year, the expo will be held between December 4 and 7 at the Chinese Import and Export Fair Pazhou Complex in Guangzhou.

Initially, the program covers one to two years of tuition for 20 to 40 students and will include five universities. AEM has signed agreements with East China University of Science and Technology in Shanghai and is close to finalising agreements with Nanjing University of Technology and Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture. It also plans to sign agreements with Changsha Communications University and Guangzhou University.

The selection criteria for the scholarships include economic need, aptitude to succeed in a construction-related program and interest in the industry, demonstrated by recommendations from teachers or work supervisors.

Cervero says AEM aims to expand the scholarship program to fund over 100 students annually by 2009 and to include training scholarships for operators and maintenance personnel.

AEM recently initiated a program in China to train and certify operators in the construction industry. The program teaches best practice in safety and efficiency to reduce accidents and increase jobsite productivity.

"Reducing the number of accidents on the work site is good for everyone - manufacturers, contractors and most importantly, the workers themselves," Cervero says.