Bill Davis’ Post

Great Decision

Great Decision

This week, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the Million Women in Construction Pledge to hire more women into the construction and building trades!   Construction companies across the country sign the pledge to demonstrate their ongoing commitment to drastically increasing tradeswomen's access to training, jobs, and leadership opportunities. The industry-wide call urges signers to take action by building partnerships to reach women and girls, and to invest in supportive services such as childcare—all while pledging to create safe, inclusive, and respectful work sites.   NEW President Leah Rambo said, “It’s clear—we need more women in the construction and building trades. This requires a comprehensive industry-wide promise. I commend the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Pledge signers for building strategies that break down barriers for women.”   #NEWstrongWomen #HardhatHERoes

As a woman & chair of our Construction Law Group, Jacqueline Greenberg Vogt is thrilled to see the U.S. Department of Commerce taking bold steps to foster gender equity in the construction industry. Through the Million Women in Construction Community Pledge, led by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, several prominent companies are committing to enhance equitable hiring practices and invest in vital supportive services such as childcare. Women are an untapped resource. In an industry where women comprise less than 11% of people working in the industry but women in the workforce comprise 47% of all working individuals, women are absolutely necessary to the continuation of growth in construction. New construction industry jobs expected to rise by the millions going forward and thus is imperative to bring more women into the industry.   The ambitious goal? Doubling the number of women in the construction workforce over the next decade. With only 14.3% of construction workers being women as of April 2024, this initiative aims to make a significant impact. The initiative aligns with the newly launched CHIPS Women in Construction Framework, which sets out best practices for increasing women's participation in CHIPS-funded projects. These include setting recruitment goals, building community partnerships, developing training pathways, providing supportive services, and ensuring safe, respectful workplaces free from harassment and discrimination. Companies like Baker Construction, Gilbane Building Company, McKissack & McKissack, Mortenson, Power Design, Shawmut Design and Construction, and Suffolk have already signed the pledge, recognizing the critical need to attract diverse talent to tackle the industry's labor challenges. This is a pivotal moment for the construction sector, amplified by the surge of federal funding from initiatives like the CHIPS and Science Act. It's heartening to see leaders in our industry stepping up to create more inclusive and equitable opportunities. Women deserve equal access to these good-paying, quality jobs, and this pledge is a significant step toward achieving that. #ConstructionLaw #WomenInConstruction #EquityInConstruction #CHIPSAct #WorkforceDiversity #ConstructionIndustry #FederalFunding #SupportiveServices

It's no secret that construction has historically been a male-dominated trade, but women are making strides in the industry now more than ever. The National Association of Women in Construction reports that more than 1,173,000 women are currently employed in construction, making up 9.9% of the industry in the United States.

Diversity and equity have always been at the heart of our business, so we are thrilled to partner with the U.S. Department of Commerce and other AEC industry leaders Baker Construction, Gilbane Building Company, Mortenson, Shawmut Design and Construction, and Suffolk Construction, as a few of the first companies to join the Million Women in Construction Community Pledge. We are dealing with a severe labor shortage in the construction industry, yet women account for less than 11% of construction workers. This means we are missing opportunities to attract, train and retain diverse talent who can close this critical labor gap. In order to change that, we will need an industry-wide commitment to solutions to overcome barriers to entry for women.  Click the link down in the comments to learn more about this industry-wide initiative. #AEC #construction #diversity #equity #womeninconstruction

Did you know that 1.2 million women are working in construction? This group makes up about 10% of the industry’s workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Among these trailblazers is our own Gretchen Kinsella, whose leadership at DPR Construction is impacting women in the industry. Featured in Construction Dive, learn how Gretchen fosters a more inclusive culture, paving the way for women in the field. https://lnkd.in/evQvu-Td #womeninconstruction #dprwic #wicweek24 #wicweek #internationalwomensday

Congratulations to the companies who signed the Million Women in Construction Community Pledge to adopt the CHIPS Women in Construction Framework! 👏🏼 Baker Construction 👏🏼 Gilbane Building Company 👏🏼 McKissack & McKissack 👏🏼 Mortenson 👏🏼 Power Design, Inc. 👏🏼 Shawmut Design and Construction 👏🏼 Suffolk Construction “There is a critical need to attract more talent and diversify our workforce to ensure we have the resources to build our cities and grow our economy.” ~John Fish, CEO of Suffolk Construction Companies that adopt the Framework will collaborate with contractors, trades unions, and other community and workforce partners in their efforts to implement the following practices: ✅ Set goals and monitor progress towards increasing the participation of women on CHIPS-funded construction projects. ✅ Build community partnerships with community organizations with a track record of increasing women and economically disadvantaged individuals’ exposure to and recruitment into the construction industry. ✅ Develop training pathways such as training investments, apprentice utilization goals, or apprentice readiness program partnerships that serve women and economically disadvantaged individuals. ✅ Provide access to supportive services such as child care or transportation that will increase retention of women and economically disadvantaged individuals in the workforce. ✅ Maintain healthy, safe, and respectful workplaces and prevent and address harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and violence through workplace training, policy and practice. . . . #WomenInConstruction #CHIPS #ConstructionIndustry #WomenInTrades #WomenInAEC #MillionWomenInConstruction #MillionWomen https://lnkd.in/ef8gX9bt

Check out this video about women who work for Elcor Construction!

Breaking barriers and building bridges: Advancing women in construction is a daily commitment. Director of Project Development, Kallen Gatherer sheds light on the year-round efforts needed to empower women in the construction industry, highlighting the challenges they face and the progress being made. Let’s keep the momentum going and continue to build up women! View the full op-ed article here » https://bit.ly/3wBHnf5