LET’S CELEBRATE WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION | March 2024

LET’S CELEBRATE WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION | March 2024

When I entered this industry in 1978 it was basically an all-male industry. Except for the accounting office or the administrative assistant pool, it was hard to find a female employee. Here we are 46 years later and for the month of March we celebrate Women in Construction. Yes, we have come a long way, but we also have plenty of room to grow.

Let’s review a few statistics we see here at Keystone. Our 2023-2024 apprenticeship class consists of slightly over 3% women. Those students are spread across six of our trades. In the last three years we graduated twelve women to journeyperson status. Beyond graduation, we have seen several of them continue to take additional training and move into larger roles with their companies. While this figure may appear to be a drop in the bucket, we’re proud to say the number of females in our trade classes is increasing each year.

Looking to the future, our middle school and pre-apprenticeship programs show impressive data. For pre-apprenticeship we are seeing as high as 20% female participation. At our middle school program, Construction Wars, half the attendees are female. The programs are designed as career awareness programs. With the numbers we see, our Apprenticeship numbers should certainly grow.

The trade side is not the only area where we see growth in participation. We continue to witness an increase of women in estimating, project management and serving as project executives. These types of positions often lead to company ownership. Yes, ABC has several businesses owned and run by women. We are blessed to see women of all levels participating on committees and contributing to the success of this association and our construction industry.
What has transpired over my last 46 years has inspired a new generation of young women to embrace the opportunities the construction industry has to offer. Join me in celebrating all that have embraced it and all that continue to contribute to our great industry.