The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has created a series of construction lessons for children that take place in Minecraft.
Aimed at 12-14-year-olds, the game, called Craft your Future, allows learners to explore the methods and skills to become a construction manager, introducing them to a career in construction.
Minecraft is increasingly seen as a way of introducing the next generation of construction professionals to the industry and is successfully being used in schools to teach computer science programming, chemistry, physics and architecture. The CIOB’s move follows the release of BeIMCraft, a Minecraft “Mod” that reflects key aspects of the BIM workflow.
Craft your Future is a series of four education lessons that take place in Newtown, a specially created virtual city in Minecraft. They can be downloaded by teachers anywhere and accessed via the Minecraft education platform.
During the lessons, which run for between three and six hours, students encounter a variety of problems that reflect construction challenges in cities today and include real-life scenarios such as the challenge of restoring Battersea Power Station.
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The lessons, which were developed with the Gameworkshop from Denmark and the Danish Architecture Centre, cover four areas of construction: maintenance, restoration, new build and refurbishment.
Bridget Bartlett, deputy chief executive at the CIOB, said: “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.
“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.
Students encounter a variety of real-life construction problems during the Minecraft lessons
“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. The lessons are designed to be teacher friendly and we hope construction employers will also want to use them in schools as they bid to switch the next generation onto a career in construction.”
Pia Rost Rasmussen, head of learning at the Danish Architecture Centre, added: “These lessons will teach young learners about the importance of architecture, building and city planning and inspire them to engage with the built environment – both as future professionals but foremost as citizens who have a role to play in how our common environment is shaped to fit society’s needs.”
The lessons are designed to be teacher friendly and we hope construction employers will also want to use them in schools as they bid to switch the next generation onto a career in construction.– Bridget Bartlett, CIOB
