Pflugerville, TX (June 21, 2022) — Rosendin, the nation’s largest employee-owned electrical contracting company, is proud to sponsor a week-long construction camp for middle school girls in Austin. Camp NAWIC is a hands-on day camp created by the Austin Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) in 2019 to give girls a safe and supportive place to explore career paths in construction and gain hands-on learning experience from women in the industry.
“Rosendin is proud to sponsor Camp NAWIC for the third year because we want to empower young girls to try new experiences, learn to use power tools, and discover the joy and accomplishment that comes from building,” said Jolsna Thomas, a Rosendin employee and member of the company’s DEI Committee. “Camp NAWIC gives these girls a supportive environment where they work side-by-side with other girls and get instruction from inspiring women in the industry.”
Outfitted with a hard hat, safety glasses, and work gloves, first year campers will learn how to safely use power tools to build concrete planters, lamps, and dog houses for donation to Austin Animal Center. At graduation, all first-year campers will receive a contractor’s tool bag filled with tools including a screwdriver kit, framing hammer, drill set, ratcheting multi-bit driver, locking pliers, and more.
Second and third year campers will build bird houses, learn welding, build solar battery kits for donation to Light for Literacy, and green houses for donation to local schools and community gardens. These more experienced campers will also receive additional tools to add to their tool bags including a M12 Multi Tool, folding jab saw, level, and framing square. When they graduate from Camp NAWIC, not only will campers have the knowledge and confidence to build, but they will have the tools and protective equipment to build efficiently and safely.
“Women across the country and throughout Texas are building our nation’s future as electricians, carpenters, engineers, plumbers and architects but we still have a lot of work to do to break the stigma that construction is just for men,” said Bobby Vasquez, Austin & San Antonio Training Coordinator for the Gulf Coast Carpenters & Millwrights Training Trust Fund. “Programs like Camp NAWIC and partners like Rosendin, Balfour Beatty, Compass Datacenters, IBEW 520, UA Local 286, and Milwaukee Tools play an important role in creating a welcoming environment by advocating for women’s issues and providing mentorship.”
Camp NAWIC Austin will run July 18 – 22, 2022 with support from Austin’s construction industry that provided financial support as well as instructors, speakers, materials, and warehouse space. Classes will be held at Austin’s Carpenter Training Center, a facility that provides one of the nation’s top carpenter training programs for the Central South Carpenters Regional Council. Campers will also have field trips to Rosendin’s Pflugerville office and returning campers will visit the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 286 facility.
Women account for 11% of the construction workforce and 3% of the craft workforce. As a shortage of construction workers continues to plague the industry, the need for women to fill these critical roles increases.
NAWIC’s Austin summer camp is sponsored by Rosendin, Balfour Beatty, Compass Datacenters, Gulf Coast Carpenters & Millwrights Training Trust Fund, IBEW 520, Milwaukee Tool, Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 286, Cherry Coatings, JE Dunn Construction, Markel Surety, Ryan Companies USA, Central Texas Building Trades, LIUNA 1095, MPRSCO, MW Builders, Rogers-O’Brien Construction, Texas AFL-CIO, and United Rentals.
