INDIANAPOLIS, IN — As more businesses move to and expand in Indiana, the state needs construction workers to keep up with the resulting construction demand.

Nationally, women make up only 11 percent of the construction workforce overall, and only 4 percent of field staff. But that is changing. With the plethora of openings and jobs that pay an average of $24.90 an hour after six months and include health and vacation benefits, more women are looking to construction as a career.

In an effort to showcase the opportunities to girls in middle and high school, the Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation’s Build Your Future program hosted a free construction camp for girls at Perry Township’s JWR Success Academy in Indianapolis.

Participants learned about construction trades, heard from women working in the industry, visited construction sites, and gained hands-on experience by building a brick wall, working electrical kits, and more.

Camp culminated with a community event where campers showcased what they learned and families watched skid steer simulations, built electrical kits, and more.

“For too long, parents, teachers, and school systems held out a college degree as the golden ticket to financial freedom and success. Students — especially young women — didn’t realize they could make a six-figure salary in the building and trades,” said Macauley Wieland-Horning, K-12 Coordinator at the Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation. “The first step is showing them the work and sharing about the amazing career opportunities they can find in construction.”