The following article was authored by Angela Robbins of C3.
I have always been a no-nonsense girl and have rarely taken ‘no’ for an answer in my career. The idea of not being allowed to do something simply because I am a woman is difficult for me to tolerate. But this has been a reality for women in the workplace for generations. Although much has been done to create a more equal career opportunity for women, hiring practices, bias and lack of applicants continue to plague many industries. Construction is one such industry. Addressing this lack of female employees has been talked about for years and companies have begun providing more programming and opportunities but there is still more work to be done. Inside the ranks of Construction Career Collaborative, we can find several different strategies to attract, hire and retain females in the industry.
Seeking to create dialogue with a group of young women in our Independent School Districts (ISDs), C3 is partnering with the Houston Chapter of National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) to sponsor an all-female construction career expo in October. Approximately 1000 girls from 6th -12th grade will be invited to participate in an interactive exploration of careers in construction and those companies that support the industry with equipment, safety, and tools. On October 17, 2019 the M.O. Campbell Center, in Aldine ISD, will host these young women as they interact with demonstrations, hands-on displays, and presentations from civil, commercial and industrial contractors. Each young woman will be provided with a hard hat, safety vest, gloves and opportunity to realize that “WE Can” build, and as Houston continues to grow that our built environment can be something they build “#SHEbuildsHouston.” The presentations will also illustrate the “hybrid” careers that provide the opportunity to spend part of their time in the field and part of it in the office, like project superintendent or safety engineer.
Registration opens on July 25, 2019 on the Construction Career Collaborative website. Underwriter, sponsorship and demonstration booth opportunities are available. As an industry, this is our chance to tell young women we want them in construction and that we are open to helping them join us and flourish in a construction career. Don’t miss your opportunity to participate as we expect to sell out quickly. Please reach out to me, Angela Robbins, [email protected] for more information on planning and registration for this one of a kind powerful event.