11% of construction employees are women. Greater Michigan Construction Academy and Ladies Operating for Growth in Construction are trying to change that by hosting events such as Build Like A Girl. During this event hosted on February 28th, 2023 in Midland, MI, girls from 5th to 12th grade were exposed to positions in the construction industry as well as meet and learn from women who are leading the way in trade positions.
SwiftWall was one of 23 companies in attendance with 6 employees volunteering at the event. Employees who attended consisted of all of the ladies in our office, Korrine (accounting), Katie (admin), Debra (admin) and Leah (engineering) as well as Zach (Director of Growth) and Mark (Director of Operations). Two hands on activities were developed by the SwiftWall team to teach users how to read and follow a blueprint and how to construct walls.
The SwiftWall team worked together to create a heart shape out of the SwiftWall Pro panels. With multiple sized panels they were color coded and corresponded to the drawings our engineering team created. Girls raced to see who could construct the temporary heart the fastest with the SwiftWall team cheering them on!
“As a young girl I was given opportunities to try something outside of my comfort zone in a safe space and I hope that every person can have that guidance and support in life. I believe it was activities like this that gave me the confidence and skill to continue to step outside of my comfort zone. The world needs more diversity in fields such as the construction industry for more perspectives and to be more innovative. I hope events like this can show young girls that they can be in fields that are currently male dominated, there are already so many amazing women here leading the way for them and at events like this they get to meet them!” – Leah Lindauer, SwiftWall Product Engineer
Hassan Anifowose is an architect studying to receive his Ph.D. at Texas A&M University. He has developed a virtual reality game with the intent of teaching construction skills by using VR. Hassan has created multiple versions of this game with the latest being a special make just for Build Like A Girl. At the event, the SwiftWall Team guided the girls in constructing a SwiftWall Pro Wall in the virtual reality world.
87% of the attendees that turned in a survey stated that after the event they felt more familiar with the job opportunities available in the construction industry. SwiftWall is very proud to be a part of such an inspiring cause!
Next year’s Build Like A Girl event is already scheduled for Tuesday, February 27, 2023 at the Great Hall in Midland, MI.
Check out the SwiftWall virtual reality game at future events to tell us if you think VR could serve as training for future construction leaders!
