NEENAH, WI — Miron Construction Co., Inc. welcomed nearly 30 female students to its Neenah headquarters for the seventh annual Build Like a Girl event. The day-long program aims to showcase opportunities for women in the construction industry and combat both the lack of women in the field and the skills gap affecting the construction industry.

This free event is open to seventh to 10th grade girls interested in learning about careers in construction. The day included conversations with women in the industry, a tour of an active project site, and discussions surrounding topics such as typical wages in the industry, apprenticeship opportunities, and safety.

The program also encompassed Miron craftspeople walking participants through multiple hands-on activity stations at a temporary project site: masonry, where they constructed a brick wall; carpentry, where they assembled raised garden beds to be donated to local organizations; and equipment operation, where they experienced what it is like to operate heavy machinery, such as a crane or boom lift.

“Our industry has unbalanced statistics when it comes to gender diversity,” said Dave Walsh, Executive Vice President of Human Resources for Miron Construction. “Women comprise only 10.9% of the construction industry, and a mere 1% of laborers are women. With the understanding that diversity drives innovation, Miron is committed to the equitable inclusion of all traditionally marginalized groups, and Build Like a Girl is just one of the initiatives that we are consciously doing to create lasting, impactful change. It is events like this one that help drive us towards a more diverse workplace, fill the skilled trades gap with passionate and smart individuals, and increase gender diversity in the construction industry.”