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women in construction week - 2022

WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION WEEK AIMS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE LACK OF WOMEN IN THE FIELD WHILE CELEBRATING THEIR GROWING IMPACT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY.

Western Michigan is fortunate to have a strong group of female construction professionals in leadership and talented female craftspeople in the field. This year mayors Rosalynn Bliss of Grand Rapids and Kenneth D. Johnson of Muskegon officially proclaimed the week of March 6 – 12 as Women in Construction week.

While the number of women in the workforce has increased in the past few decades, it is still very clear that construction is a male-dominated industry. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women comprise only 10.9% of all people working in the construction industry and only one out of every 100 employees in the field.

In today’s climate of worker shortages, there has never been a more important time to engage, train, and uplift a new generation of female skilled trades professionals.

We’re thankful to have such a great WMCI team, led by our president Jen Schottke.

Here at WMCI, one of our main goals is to build a brighter future in our West Michigan community by attracting a diverse workforce and empowering them with the skills, confidence, and certification to launch a successful construction career.

Take Emilitzhe, for example.

She is a hard-working, fast-learning student in our NCCER certified CORE Construction course. When asked what areas of the construction industry she was most interested in she had two answers.

“Right now I’m interested in pursuing a career as either an electrician or a project manager. Electrical work sounds interesting to me because I like how those skills can help both in your profession AND work you can do around your house. And then I’m interested in project management because I enjoy supervising and leading teams. (pauses and smiles) I think I get that last leadership skill from managing all my younger siblings.”

If you’re interested in getting involved and learning more about this year’s WIC Week, you can check out some of the following West Michigan events:

  • Our friends at Windemuller, a long time champion of Women in Construction Week, are holding an expert panel event focusing on female mentorship. This event will be at the Greenhouse in Grand Rapid’s Downtown Market on April 27 at 3:30PM. You can learn more here.
  • The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) has a strong calendar of virtual events all week long centered around DE&I, thriving trades, growing confidence, and shattering glass ceilings. You can see the full lineup here.
  • The local Grand Rapid’s NAWIC Chapter hosted an in-person luncheon on March 9 featuring keynote speaker Julie Neph, the Chief Engineer at the Mackinac Bridge.