Giving underprivileged girls and boys a chance for a brighter future is the goal behind one of the most successful construction programs in the United States today.
What started as a glimmer of hope for kids in East Harlem in 1978, is now one of New York City’s most impressive youth training programs of all time. Designed to provide young women and young men with a set of construction skills to transform their lives from poverty to triumph, YouthBuild offers more than just hands-on training. It encompasses an entire educational program to transform young lives.
Funded through private donations and grants from the US Department of Labor (DOL), YouthBuild provides construction opportunities for teens who otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to develop marketable skills.
Builder Chicks supports YouthBuild 100-percent. We’ll be bringing you announcements of future events that you can take part in and covering the success stories of YouthBuild construction projects around the nation.
Will the Home Star Program Help Your Construction Business?
We surely hope so.
With the nation still in the grasp of an economic recession, Congress is now considering the Home Star Bill that could provide the funding to create as many as 168,000 new jobs.
The program will offer rebates to citizens who install energy-saving appliances and take part in weatherizing their homes. This could be a big boost for the construction industry but in order to be effective, we must get the word out to our clients.
Learn about the program and approach former clients who have expressed interest in energy-saving technology now. If you can provide the actual figures for savings, you could get some new clients.
The details are not finalized yet, but the program would separate energy saving measures into categories, classified under "Silver Star" or "Gold Star" depending upon the type of energy saving measures the homeowner chooses.
Check back with Builder Chicks as we follow this bill. We'll bring you the latest developments as they happen.
Until then,
Build it Sister!
With the nation still in the grasp of an economic recession, Congress is now considering the Home Star Bill that could provide the funding to create as many as 168,000 new jobs.
The program will offer rebates to citizens who install energy-saving appliances and take part in weatherizing their homes. This could be a big boost for the construction industry but in order to be effective, we must get the word out to our clients.
Learn about the program and approach former clients who have expressed interest in energy-saving technology now. If you can provide the actual figures for savings, you could get some new clients.
The details are not finalized yet, but the program would separate energy saving measures into categories, classified under "Silver Star" or "Gold Star" depending upon the type of energy saving measures the homeowner chooses.
Check back with Builder Chicks as we follow this bill. We'll bring you the latest developments as they happen.
Until then,
Build it Sister!
How's the Building in Your Neck of the Woods?
In Kansas City last month (January 2010), residential construction rose by 26%, but the biggest news, and not good news, is that all other forms of construction took a dive.
Non-residential construction in KC was down 59% last month, compared to January of 2009. Needless to say, that does not bode well for some of the bigger contractors who then send smaller crews on jobs the little contractors depend upon.
Let's get out there and get this thing talked up. A rise in the economy depends upon new construction starts. It's like a house built of cards, one card falls over knocking down the rest...until one card simply refuses to fall. That stops the collapse.
Get out there and be the card that refuses to fall. Talk it up. Encourage your clients to build or remodel now.
Non-residential construction in KC was down 59% last month, compared to January of 2009. Needless to say, that does not bode well for some of the bigger contractors who then send smaller crews on jobs the little contractors depend upon.
Let's get out there and get this thing talked up. A rise in the economy depends upon new construction starts. It's like a house built of cards, one card falls over knocking down the rest...until one card simply refuses to fall. That stops the collapse.
Get out there and be the card that refuses to fall. Talk it up. Encourage your clients to build or remodel now.
Looking for Green Jobs?
So are we!
Last year, the White House designated $500 million dollars to bring green job opportunities to the nation's rising unemployed workers.
That’s quite a chunk of change and we should be able to look around and see at least a little benefit in some sectors. Problem is, no one’s seeing it.
Claudia Rowe, from the Institute of Southern Studies, asks the administration, “Where are the Green Jobs?”
Now, a full year later, record numbers of workers are still unemployed and the green jobs are nowhere to be found.
Last year, the White House designated $500 million dollars to bring green job opportunities to the nation's rising unemployed workers.
Claudia Rowe, from the Institute of Southern Studies, asks the administration, “Where are the Green Jobs?”
Now, a full year later, record numbers of workers are still unemployed and the green jobs are nowhere to be found.
Construction Opportunities for Women on the Rise?
With the coming retirement of the Baby Boomers, economists predict a rise in demand for jobs in the trades industries, specifically in construction.
Needless to say, this opens a whole new vista for females wanting to build careers in construction.
Business Global suggests an average skilled electrician can make approximately $70,000 a year, depending upon where she lives.
For young women thinking about a career in the construction industry, now is the time to starting paving the road to a fulfilling career.
Take math and construction-related courses, learn the business end of running a contracting company and work on a jobsite whenever possible.
When the next wave of demand for construction workers hit - you'll ride the wave with ease.
Needless to say, this opens a whole new vista for females wanting to build careers in construction.
Business Global suggests an average skilled electrician can make approximately $70,000 a year, depending upon where she lives.
For young women thinking about a career in the construction industry, now is the time to starting paving the road to a fulfilling career.
Take math and construction-related courses, learn the business end of running a contracting company and work on a jobsite whenever possible.
When the next wave of demand for construction workers hit - you'll ride the wave with ease.
What's Your Management Style?
I’m lucky enough to know a few dozen female contractors, through years of networking, conventions and late night phone calls. At a dinner in NYC a few years ago, the topic came up about the differences between male and female contractors on a construction project.
While everyone had a slightly different experience, one aspect was common, the women dropped small hints to the workers once or twice before coming right out and stating what was wanted.
One contractor shared her story of trying to get a young male carpenter to take more time on his finish work. She would inspect the job with him in tow, talking pleasantly but pausing to notice a rough spot on wood trim or to run her fingers over a hole the carpenter forgot to fill. It was her hope that the young man would see that she was discovering these small flaws and pay more attention to his work.
Unfortunately, the carpenter did not change. His work wasn’t poor, but it lacked finesse. Finally, the contractor took him aside and mentioned the problem. The young man was surprised. When told that she had tried to get the point across to him by touching or feeling the errors, he admitted that the hints had gone right over his head. He never made the connection.
The rest of the women contractors could identify with that and they all shared similar stories.
Why do we feel the need to hint around before getting to the point? Maybe something we learned a long time ago about not hurting anyone’s feelings.
At any rate, it’s counterproductive and can detract from the construction project. So the next time you’re inclined to drop a hint, don’t waste your time. Point out the problem and offer a solution. You’ll save time and that will save money.
Starting Young in Construction with Block Kids
The Santa Clara chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) recently sponsored a LEGO building competition for students in grades first through sixth.
The children were allowed 45 minutes in which to create their architectural masterpieces with one hundred LEGO blocks, a rock, a piece of string and a bit of foil. Through imagination and a fun hands-on activity, children, both girls and boys, got the opportunity to experience the thrill of designing and constructing their own project.
The kids of today are the architects, contractors and carpenters of the future.
To arrange for a Block Kids Building Day in your community, contact the NAWIC, for more information.
The children were allowed 45 minutes in which to create their architectural masterpieces with one hundred LEGO blocks, a rock, a piece of string and a bit of foil. Through imagination and a fun hands-on activity, children, both girls and boys, got the opportunity to experience the thrill of designing and constructing their own project.
The kids of today are the architects, contractors and carpenters of the future.
To arrange for a Block Kids Building Day in your community, contact the NAWIC, for more information.
Women Top Men at Keeping Their Jobs
This is a bittersweet turn of events. While women are holding onto their jobs better than men are during the creeping recession that started in 2007, no one wants to see anyone, male or female, lose their job. Not only are women less likely to lose their job - currently there are more women in the workforce than there are men.
So what's behind this trend? At the University of Chicago, economics expert, Casey B. Mulligan, has been carefully tracking the employment trends. Mulligan believes that historian decades from now will point to this anomaly with interest. Never before have there been more women employed than men.
So, while this is a day for the record books, it's too soon to congratulate our sister co-workers, not when their brothers, sons and fathers are unemployed.
So what's behind this trend? At the University of Chicago, economics expert, Casey B. Mulligan, has been carefully tracking the employment trends. Mulligan believes that historian decades from now will point to this anomaly with interest. Never before have there been more women employed than men.
So, while this is a day for the record books, it's too soon to congratulate our sister co-workers, not when their brothers, sons and fathers are unemployed.
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