Power Girls! Connects Young Women With Construction Careers

Recently, more than 30 middle school girls attended Power Girls! at the YMCA in Minneapolis where they had the opportunity to learn about non-traditional career paths for women in the trades.

The hands-on event allowed girls to learn about electricity, electrical work, plumbing, soldering, pipefitting and more through face-to-face interactions with 18 Twin Cities female tradeswomen representing various career stages – apprentice, journey level, master and retired. Each girl received a home tool kit to learn more about tool identification and safety.

 

The event was sponsored by the Construction Careers Foundation and the YWCA Minneapolis. Dunwoody College of Technology hosted the event.

“This event offered a unique opportunity for girls to learn directly from women who are working in the construction industry,” says Vicki Sandberg, industry consultant with the Construction Careers Foundation. “Minnesota has a big shortage of construction workers. Attracting more women to careers in construction is part of the answer to filling that gap. The girls who attended learned that there are good, high-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year college degree. It was an eye opener for many.”