ROANOKE, Va. – All week long, the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) of the Roanoke Valley will be hosting events to connect and prepare women for a career in construction.
Some of events include a hardhat jobsite tour at the Carilion Crystal Springs Tower Project, an industry social at Gentry Locke and a Rockydale Quarry Tour of the Roanoke Plant. There is also an Equipment Rodeo at United Rentals, which is an opportunity to learn about some of the larger equipment you could work with at a job site.
In 2020, only 10% of the construction industry was made up of women. NAWIC is hoping to close the gap.
Heather Gallagher, the President of the Roanoke Valley National Women in Construction Chapter said she is most excited for the community build, which is happening on Saturday, March 12 at the Build Smart Institute. They will be working to build a new exhibit for the Children’s Museum Downtown.
“We are going to have a lot of people for that. We are going to have some of the students from Build Smart Institute, some of the folks that I work with on the job site. It is just going to be a really great event and a lot of people are coming together for the purpose of educating the youth on construction opportunities, which is a huge passion project of mine,” said Gallagher.
The goal of the exhibit is to get children thinking about a career in construction from an early age.
If you would like to get involved or start a career in construction, Gallagher says to reach out to the local NAWIC Chapter or contact the Build Smart Institute.