Maine summer camp introduces girls to jobs in construction

Girls designed construction cranes and excavators this week at a camp intended to get them interested in jobs in the construction industry.

And yet to come later this week — a “smash lab” where they will get to put on protective glasses and other gear as they sledgehammer cinder blocks.

The Girls Build the Future summer camp is for students who will be in 6th through 8th grade this fall. It’s designed to show them jobs in construction engineering, along with hands-on activities.

Maine Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Heather Johnson visited the camp Tuesday to highlight the state’s emphasis on getting more women and girls interested in jobs in the construction industry.

“We see this as a real important opportunity to work with middle school aged students because they are starting to think about what their future looks like and we want to make sure they keep their options open,” Johnson said.

The girls used paper cups, cardboard, pipe cleaner and beads to make their cranes and excavators. They talked about learning from their mistakes and getting a chance to do something other than a sports camp over the summer.

“Our life sometimes is overwhelming so it’s nice to just like come to camp and relax and build something with friends and have fun,” said Amelia, 11, of Bangor.

The free camp, sponsored by the state economic development department, took place at Sargent construction in Orono and was run by the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor. Trudi Plummer, director of education for the museum, said she welcomed the chance to work with older children ready to tackle more complex challenges.

“What I really want them to learn is No. 1 the basics of the science,” she said. “I want to show them something new they haven’t thought about.”

In May, Gov. Janet Mills signed an executive order designed to boost the number of women working in the construction industry.

It directs the state Department of Labor to work with the industry to “identify, encourage, and promote skills training, childcare, health insurance, employee codes of conduct, transportation and any other actions that will increase the number of women in the construction industry.”

In addition, it directs state agencies to implement “any available incentives for the hiring and retention of women in the construction industry.”

The order also lays out the need for more workers brought on by federal funds for transportation and clean energy projects.

It highlights the pay gap, noting that women in Maine earn about $9,000 less a year than men for the same amount of time worked.

Women make up 15% of Maine’s construction industry, compared to 11% nationally, according to the Maine Department of Labor.

For the girls at camp, those old barriers don’t seem to be in the way.

“I don’t see it like only a boy job, I see it like maybe a boy and a girl job,” Amelia said.