Rosendin, the electrical contracting industry’s largest employee-owned firm sponsored Camp NAWIC, a construction camp for girls created by the Austin Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC). The week-long camp gave 24 middle schoolers the opportunity to explore career paths in construction and gain hands-on learning experience from women in the industry.

This is the second year NAWIC has hosted this camp in Austin. The camp ran July 19 through 23 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. On July 21, campers took a field trip to Rosendin’s Pflugerville facility to learn hands-on skills in electrical work.

“Many younger girls are unaware of the possibility of a rewarding and financially beneficial career in the construction trades or related fields,” said Jolsna Thomas, a Rosendin employee and member of the company's DEI Committee. “This camp is designed to give them real hands-on experience and work side-by-side with other girls and women with careers in the industry.”

At Rosendin’s Pflugerville office, campers learned how to use power tools and basic electrical skills such as pipe bending, experienced augmented reality viewing to understand how to virtually build and to see the plans overlaid on builds through SheetViewer, wired a lamp, and spoke with female employees about construction careers ranging from installing conduit to computer modeling with virtual reality and engineering.

“Everyday thousands of women across the country and across Texas play a critical role in the construction industry,” said Bobby Vasquez, Austin and San Antonio Training Coordinator for the Gulf Coast Carpenters and Millwrights Training Trust Fund. “However, there is a shortage of women in construction. That’s why programs like this and partners like NAWIC and Rosendin play an important role in getting women training and leadership skills, advocating for women’s issues and providing mentorship.”

Women account for 9 percent of the construction workforce and 3 percent 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.

“We need more women builders and managers. It’s important for women to be a part of the way our world is built,” said Stephanie Roldan, Director of Lean Culture at Rosendin. “As Rosendin develops innovative technologies and fosters a diverse and inclusive workforce, having women be part of the decision-making process is critical. That’s why we sponsor opportunities that expose women in the industry and cultivate their unique skill sets.”

NAWIC’s Austin summer camp was sponsored by Rosendin, AGC Austin, Central Texas Building Trades, Gulf Coast Carpenters and Millwrights Training Trust Fund, Milwaukee Tool, Austin Commercial, Compass Datacenters, Ryan Companies USA, JE Dunn Construction, Cherry Coatings, Texas AFL-CIO, Rogers-O’Brien Construction, Markel, LIUNA, Ferguson Enterprises, and Morris Supply Company. NAWIC holds similar camps for girls in San Diego, Kansas City, Baltimore, Chicago, and Orange County, California.