Nearly 80 middle and high school students from the Philadelphia area completed two free summer camps, immersing them in building trade skills.
Hosted by the nonprofit foundation of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Philadelphia chapter, the six-week camp, called Mentoring Young Women in Construction, provided students with hands-on experience, skills training and guidance construction professional.
This year, the program which is run in partnership with industry companies such as NEST, a national facilities management company Sewell, NJ, expanded to include a second location in Philadelphia.
Through the 15-year-old program, “we are cultivating the next wave of women leaders in America by immersing them in the fields of construction and skilled trades,” said Mary Gaffney, president of the NAWIC Philadelphia Foundation. “Women currently make up less than 10% of the construction workforce, but the industry is ripe with opportunities for a fulfilling career. At the conclusion of the camp, participants show noticeably greater self-confidence and a stronger sense of their potential.
The construction industry needs to hire an additional 500,000 workers in 2024 alone to meet labor demands, the Associated Builders and Contractors say. The Wisconsin General Contractors Association is hosting a similar camp in Madison, Wis., for the second year.
Jess Cooper, 16, who lives with her working mother in the Olney neighborhood of North Philadelphia, graduated from Philadelphia program at the Xapa Local 19 Workers Training Center on August 8.
“Throughout my life, I have always liked working with my hands; I like to be active and sporty,” she says.
One of his favorite experiences was learning how to wire lights and replace plugs at an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) training center, Cooper says, working with an electrician instructor and apprentices. He says he’s always wanted to be an electrician, but now has more training and valuable professional connections.
“I connected with the apprentices and the principal,” he says.
On August 1, campers spent a day at Citizen’s Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies major league baseball team, as part of the Skilled Trades All-Star Program presented by the Phillies and NEST. While touring the facilities, they learned about the stadium operations (including HVAC, grounds maintenance, carpentry, electrical service and maintenance) of the Metropolitan Regional Council of Carpenters, which services the stadium.
Supporting the camp “is a cornerstone of NEST’s commitment to fostering diversity in construction and the skilled trades,” Rob Almond, the company’s CEO, said in a press release. “Our goal is to show these talented young women the opportunities available and inspire them as future leaders in these fields. We want to elevate the skilled trades as well-paid, honorable and often heroic career paths that require a rejuvenated workforce.
NEST helped establish the Skilled Trades Advisory Council in 2023, which linked industry experts across the country to promote skilled trades as “viable and rewarding career options,” he added.
