Career exploration event introduces female students in Katy ISD to the construction industry
KATY, Texas (KTRK) -- It's not the career many young women think about or even know is a possibility. But on Tuesday, 8th graders from Katy ISD had the chance to engage and learn more about the construction industry.
Approximately 1,500 female students attended #SheBuildsHouston at the Gerald D. Young Agricultural Sciences Center in honor of Rosie the Riveter Day. The career exploration event is hosted by Construction Career Collaborative C3.
Angela Robbins Taylor, who is C3's executive director, said only 14% of the people working in construction are women, a number they are working to improve.
"Jobs don't have genders. So there is no job that's just for men. There is no job that's just for women. Every job is available to each of us. What we choose to empower ourselves with is what the future will look like for us, right?" Robbins Taylor said.
Nikki Morgan is the executive vice president of TDIndustries, one of the sponsors and vendors at the event. She shared that as a young woman, she didn't know construction was an option until after college.
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"Construction has historically been a male-dominated industry. We haven't had women there to help. They're very creative and organized. To bring women in and help them understand that there is an opportunity is a big deal because it makes for a stronger industry," Morgan said.
The young girls visited more than 45 vendors and engaged in hands-on experience with different types of power-building tools and equipment. They also had the opportunity to ask questions and hear from women working in the industry, like Morgan.
"It's been really fun going around, picking up little things, and having them talk about how they work. I've thought about being a pilot. But I had not thought about construction. However, after this, it's an option," Chloe Saucier, an 8th grader at Katy Junior High, said. "Women are very capable of doing things that men can do."
The C3 career exploration event began in 2019, reaching young girls in Aldine, Alief, and Spring Branch ISD.
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