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The construction industry is facing a major labor shortage, but programs and people across the country are working locally to solve the problem. This series highlights efforts that help recruit the next generation of construction professionals. Read previous posts here.
Do you know of any groups that help attract workers to the construction industry? Let us know.
Since she was little, Sela Martínez wanted to “do something with stones”.
Now a senior at the Colorado School of Mines, a public research university in Golden, Colorado, he is finishing his bachelor’s degree in geological engineering. After graduation, Martinez will survey construction sites to help determine things like where crews will drill holes or good soil drainage.
“From a young age, my parents took me to the Mines geology museum, and that’s what made me want to go to Mines and pursue geology,” Martinez said.
But it was her father, who worked in construction, who helped her find a path for her aspirations. Taking career day visits to construction and engineering jobs in the Denver area helped Martinez discover his passion for geotechnical engineering.
He found these connections through Transportation & Construction Girl.
Part of the Hoya Foundation, an Arvada, Colorado-based nonprofit designed to help women find careers, T&C Girl seeks to recruit the next generation of young women to the industry.
Opening doors
As the Hoya Foundation’s project director, Keller Hayes knew that not enough women were hearing about the trades. It was especially evident because of the disparity in the number of women working in construction. As of August, women counted 14.3% of the US construction workforceaccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, even though they make up half of all workers.
So T&C Girl was founded to make it easier to open doors for young women to learn, feel comfortable and pursue construction as a career. Early on, Hayes discovered one obstacle among many: heavy machinery. Young girls were afraid of it, she told Construction Dive.
“They say, ‘I don’t know how to do it.’ I’ve never done it. I don’t know any other girls who do this. Oh, and my favorite: ‘I’m afraid I’ll break it.’ “I’m like you’re 90 pounds really wet. We got that,” Hayes said.
At the T&C Girl Day on September 26, participants had the opportunity to discover trades in a hands-on way.
Permission granted by Transportation & Construction Girl
Since 2017, the nonprofit has worked to bring young women of all ages into construction by introducing them to the trades, giving them hands-on experience and getting them comfortable with heavy machinery. The group offers three “career weeks” and a five-day summer camp where young women ages 13 to 20 tour five area businesses.
Companies create one-day programs to give campers a glimpse of what a career in each field, such as masonry or heavy equipment operation, would entail.
Martinez attended career weeks in high school, which helped her discover her right career path.
But the biggest event this year was September 26: the annual Girls in Transport and Construction Day. With more than 50 partners, 70 exhibits, 1,700 girls and 800 chaperones, the event provided opportunities for young women to interact with companies and partners, gain experience with heavy equipment and learn about trades as a career.
“There was a sea of pink energy welcoming the next generation of women into this industry,” Hayes said of this year’s T&C Day of the Girl, which she described as the best yet. “Most importantly, I saw the girls realize that they can also find amazing, well-paying and rewarding jobs in this industry. And they had the opportunity to meet many women currently working in the industry who can help them achieve -ho”.
Thalia Garman, a freshman at Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colorado, attended both career weeks and T&C Girl’s Day when she was in high school.
She said she discovered a passion for electrical work, but didn’t understand what the day-to-day was like until she attended T&C Girl events, where experienced electricians and engineers could show her their work.
“I didn’t know what it involved,” Garman said. “So being able to get hands-on action was really beneficial to see what I wanted to do.”
Breaking down barriers
Garman said that when he was growing up, he would look out the car window and see construction sites, but he never noticed any women. That, in itself, seemed like a barrier.
“It just wasn’t something I saw as an option,” he said.
When Terri Olsen formed civil contractor OE Construction with her son in 2006, this lack of representation, which she had also seen in her previous career in the hardware and software industry, was still a problem.
OE based in Wheat Ridge, Colorado is a sponsor of T&C Girl. Olsen described the work done by the organization as visionary and said the experience has benefited her company by teaching them how young women view the trades and what they can do to hire them.
“It takes a village and we all need to work together to bring women into the construction industry, now and into the future,” said Olsen.
This broad effort is necessary, Hayes agrees, and exposing girls to construction as a career option can have a profound impact on the individual, their family and the industry.
“I would say the bottom line is that we need to let young girls know about careers in this industry earlier because it’s not just about changing lives, it’s about changing lives,” she said. “It’s about letting young girls know that there are financially rewarding careers in this industry and that we want them in this industry.”
Martinez described the pride that construction workers feel when they see a project and say, “I helped build that.” Still, he was apprehensive about working in construction.
“I asked myself, ‘Would I have a place here, would they accept me?'” he said. “The program definitely helped me see how willing companies are to hire women.”
