AUGUSTA — This week, Commissioners Heather Johnson and Laura Fortman participated in a series of events demonstrating a few of the ways Maine is fostering the goals of girls interested in construction, as well as connecting women to training and job opportunities in the field. With approximately two jobs for every one unemployed job seeker in Maine and an aging workforce, employers are seeking skilled talent from across Maine’s population to fill critical roles in today’s tight labor market- including through investing in communities traditionally under-represented in certain industries.

On Tuesday, August 13, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Heather Johnson visited Girls Build the Future at Sargent Construction in Orono. Girls Build the Future is a free camp for ascending 6th to ascending 8th grade girls, sponsored by the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. The construction engineering summer camp provides opportunities to participate in hands-on design challenges, meet real-life engineers, and visit engineering workplaces to see what it would really be like to work in construction engineering.

"Our workforce is a really broad continuum, and there's a place for every Maine youth in it," said Heather Johnson, Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development, in a news release. "We want to be able to remove barriers so young people can see what their future could look like and find their path here."

"Young girls should know, number one, that they can do anything. Number two, they can do anything they want here in Maine," said Kate Dickerson, Executive Director of the Maine Discovery Museum. "So if they want to do construction engineering, they can do it here. If they want to support people who do construction engineering, they want to do design work, they can do it here. There is nothing they can do that cannot be done in Maine."  

Sargent Corporation is hosting the campers this past week. 

"Women have been vastly underrepresented in construction for a long time, and so they bring a different perspective," said Peter Parizo, head of Workforce Development for Sargent. "Even early in their careers, they bring the things that we are seeing this week: innovation and ideas. When we moved into this space two years ago, we envisioned it as a space for learning, development, and outreach to the community, and it is great to have them here."

On Thursday, August 15, Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman spoke at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Hire-A-Vet Campaign at the Augusta Civic Center, with around 160 participating employers. While campaign events are open to all job seekers, this year's campaign will have a special focus on connecting women veterans and military family members with careers in the trades. The campaign will continue through the fall with a series of statewide events.

“There are a lot of positions open in Maine’s construction industry, yet only 15 percent of the workers in these fields are women. At the same time, women veterans bring needed skills like managing complex tasks, understanding safety protocols, solid communications, and teamwork – all skills that are needed in the construction sector,” said Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman. “The Department’s CareerCenter team is here to connect them with opportunities in a variety of fields.”

Commissioner Fortman also spoke on Thursday at the graduation of the first Union Construction Academy of Maine Women in the Trades program, a pre-apprenticeship designed specifically for women interested in the trades. The graduation took place at the IBEW 1253 building in Newport.

This first cohort of the program had nine graduates, who came from a variety of backgrounds. During the four-week program, pre-apprentices learned and earned certifications in OSHA 10 (basic safety training), First-Aid/CPR/AED, Flagging, Scaffolding (User), Confined Space Entry, Asbestos Awareness and Hazardous Waste Handling. The Women in the Trades pre-apprenticeship program prepares women for quality careers in the union trades earning good wages and excellent benefits. Union apprenticeships allow apprentices to earn pay and benefits while developing valuable skills through on-the-job training and classroom instruction.

“With historic federal infrastructure investments flowing into Maine, it is more important than ever to work towards gender parity in construction and the skilled trades,” said Elinor Higgins, Executive Director of the Maine Permanent Commission on the Status of Women. “This critical work builds pathways for women to enter lucrative and rewarding trades careers, helps ensure that women can benefit from those federal investments, and brings women to the table to build Maine’s future.”

“We are so proud of the nine pre-apprentices who completed our Union Construction Academy Women in the Trades program," said Sam Boss, Apprenticeship and Equity Director of Maine AFL-CIO. “In our three weeks of intensive training, they've earned five certifications and developed hands-on skills in several different trades. The experience they've gained has helped them to make decisions about the career paths they want to pursue, while giving them the confidence to thrive once they enter registered apprenticeships with Maine Building and Construction Trades Unions.”

Women currently make up 15 percent of Maine's construction industry and only 11 percent of the industry nationally. On May 6, Governor Mills signed an Executive Order to improve the recruitment, training, and retention of women in Maine's construction industry. The Executive Order directs several state agencies to take a series of actions to better measure the shortage of qualified workers in the construction industry, connect women with industry employment opportunities, and pursue state and federal funding to incentivize the hiring of women.

Maine CareerCenters and Maine Department of Labor are equal opportunity providers.
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