Miron to host 9th annual ‘Build Like a Girl’ event

An event meant to “bulldoze stereotypes” about women in the construction industry is coming to Neenah.

Neenah-based Miron Construction will host its ninth annual Build Like a Girl event, which will introduce 30 girls to explore opportunities for women in the construction industry at the company’s headquarters.

Women make up roughly 10% of the construction industry, reported the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The industry needs more than 400,000 new workers to make up for demand, the Associated Builders and Contractors said.

The free event in Neenah is scheduled to start on Thursday. Another event in Milwaukee is set for July 17.

The event is open to seventh to 10th grade girls who are interested in learning about careers in construction, officials said. The event will feature conversations with women in the industry, a tour of an active project site and discussions around topics such as typical wages in the industry, apprenticeship opportunities and safety, officials added.

Miron craft workers will walk the girls through multiple hands-on activity stations at a temporary project site, which will include masonry, carpentry, equipment operation and virtual construction, officials noted.

“Miron understands that diversity drives innovation,” said Dave Walsh, executive vice president of human resources for Miron Construction. “With women comprising just under 11% of the construction industry and only 4.3% of skilled trade workers, we recognize the critical need to close this gender gap,” he added.

Build Like a Girl is “one of the intentional steps we are taking to create meaningful, lasting change,” Walsh said.

Construction remains the largest employer with people without a bachelor’s degree, representing nearly 10 million workers or more than 10% of employment for those without a BA, statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce showed. Women still make up a small percentage of the construction workforce. But if more women entered and stayed in construction, there could be enough workers to fill existing job openings, Commerce Department officials said.