Generations of American girls learned how to run a household in high school home economics classes. In the 21st century, girls are learning how to build the house — and shopping malls, office buildings and virtually every other kind of structure on the American landscape.
The construction industry is poised to grow, and women’s role in that growth is expanding as well. In 2007, women accounted for 9 percent of the nearly 12 million jobs in the construction industry, and their numbers are steadily growing, according Bureau of Labor Statistics figures. The architecture and engineering fields, specifically, have seen significant growth of women workers, with women accounting for 14 percent of that segment’s work force.
Women are actively involved like never before in all facets of construction, including architecture, engineering, trucking/hauling, excavation, building, design and business ownership.
“The key to the growth is education,” says Dede Hughes, executive vice president of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). “Construction is not an industry that is typically promoted to young women as a career option. It is one, however, that with any level of education, you can earn a living.”
As more educational programs impact youth, the diversity in the construction workforce will undoubtedly continue to increase. In the last five years, NAWIC and other organizations have established a variety of programs geared toward educating girls and young women about construction career opportunities. These programs include competitions, week-long summer camps for elementary to high school girls, and presentations at schools.
Block-Kids: First- through sixth-grade students build structures using interlocking blocks, small rock, string, foil and poster board in the Block-Kids Building Program. NAWIC chapters and other organizations sponsor the national building program competition through NAWIC the Education Foundation (NEF). Many students return yearly to participate in this competition.
Rosie’s Girls Camp: This program is a three-week summer day camp for girls entering sixth through eighth grade. Activities include using basic tools such as hammers and saws for carpentry and other hands-on projects. Girls design and produce their own tool box and work on community-based projects, which promotes confidence and a can-do attitude. They learn about creative arts activities like poetry and stand-up comedy, as well as physical activity challenges that encourage them to go beyond the “I’m just a girl” attitude to one that proclaims “I’m a girl who can do anything.”
MAGIC Summer Camp: Local chapters of NAWIC and MAGIC (Mentoring a Girl in Construction) Summer Camp Inc., sponsor MAGIC Summer Camp programs throughout the nation. Founder Renee Conner, a member of the Sugarloaf, Ga. NAWIC chapter, has seen the program grow from its first camp in Georgia to rapidly expand throughout the states. MAGIC Summer Camp is a one-week day camp designed to introduce high school girls to exciting careers in construction. Girls learn about various employment opportunities in construction, and participate in hands-on activities to promote construction skills.
Build Your Future: This is a program of the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) designed to promote the construction industry to future employees. One activity is Careers in Construction Week, which unites the community, schools and various companies in the construction industry. NCCER also provides promotional material and a career Web site to further encourage students to pursue a career in construction. NCCER and NAWIC work in conjunction to promote Build Your Future activities.
Visit www.nawic.org for more information about any of these opportunities.
