Building a better future: Program looks to introduce Katy ISD girls to the construction industry

By George Slaughter, News Editor
Posted 3/15/23

Think of the term “construction worker,” and chances are the image of a man, in jeans and a hard hat and tool belt, comes to mind. But as Katy continues to grow, more construction workers are needed. A relatively new outreach program, which will be introduced March 21 in Katy, will work to help change that construction worker image.

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Building a better future: Program looks to introduce Katy ISD girls to the construction industry

Posted

Think of the term “construction worker,” and chances are the image of a man, in jeans and a hard hat and tool belt, comes to mind. But as Katy continues to grow, more construction workers are needed. A relatively new outreach program, which will be introduced March 21 in Katy, will work to help change that construction worker image.

The program’s name is She Builds Houston, and it is a hands-on career exploration event in which young women get introduced to career opportunities in the construction trade. Construction Career Collaborative, also called C3, is a Houston-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, oversees She Builds Houston. C3 partnered with Katy ISD to bring the program to Katy.

When program organizers describe She Builds Houston as a hands-on experience, they mean it. The approximately 1,700 Katy ISD 8th grade girls who will be attending the event will be able to use hand tools, power tools and other building materials. The event is set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Gerald D. Young Agricultural Services Center, 5801 Katy Hockley Cutoff Road.

Perhaps not coincidentally, March 21 is Rosie the Riveter Day. Rosie the Riveter was an iconic character symbolizing the women who held jobs previously held by men while the men fought overseas during World War II, from 1939-45.

Diane Aguilar, C3 marketing and operations manager, said the program began in 2019 in Aldine ISD. She said it has expanded to Alief ISD and Spring Branch ISD. Last year, she said, Katy ISD observed the program in Alief and started discussions about bringing the program to Katy.

“We’re having a great time working with Katy,” Aguilar said. “They’re fantastic partners.”

While Aguilar said the program focuses on the trades—“swinging hammers and building scaffolds”—office-type jobs in planning and design are part of the industry. Students are given the chance to sit in groups with professionals who can answer their questions about the trades, both blue- and white-collar, and how to prepare for them. The event will feature about 30 vendors where students can learn about various trade programs, such as electrical. Some trade unions are also expected, Aguilar said.

The students will also receive some swag, including their own hard hat, lanyard, safety glasses, safety vest and t-shirt.

Aguilar said fighting the misperception of construction workers being exclusively male remains a focus of the program.

“They will say, ‘I’m not getting out there, I’m not strong enough to hang a sheet rock,’” Aguilar said. “But you know what? Yes, you are. Once you’ve been taught the techniques, you can do it. It might take three swings with a hammer instead of one, but you’re going to get it done. Women are so much stronger than they give themselves credit for.”

Lisa Kassman is Katy ISD’s executive director for facilities, planning and construction. She has been with Katy ISD since 2000. She said when she began her career, the ratio of men to women in the construction industry was 10:1. But women are earning their place in the ranks, both on the ground and in the executive suites. Yet, earlier in her career, she said she was told she could not get into a management role because the men running the companies wouldn’t listen to her.

“You couldn’t get away with that now,” Kassman said. “I fought hard, stood my ground and ended up having a good relationship with everybody in my field. I was at the job sites at 6 a.m. and stayed until the end.”

Like the young students She Builds Houston hopes to reach, Kassman herself did not initially think of being in construction or civil engineering. She began her collegiate studies as a chemistry major, but she found it frustrating in that she could not see things come together. But with civil engineering, she said, she could see the design go from a plan to a building.

Kassman said when she graduated from college, 62 students were in her school’s civil engineering program, and 12 of those were women. But things have changed since then.

“The industry has changed as people are learning more,” Kassman said. “My son is a mechanical engineer. I just think about him watching me and what I did. My kids always came to the job sites with me. There’s a different awareness now. Girls don’t have to stay home or do home economics stuff. As Diane said, we’re very smart, we’re very strong. You just have to have that confidence and perseverance to move forward.”

The opportunities are there. Last year, Aguilar said, the number of available construction jobs “plummeted” to only 248,000 nationwide.

“That’s two jobs for every unemployed person,” Aguilar said.

Katy ISD, She Builds Houston, construction