Women succeeding in construction continue to face an uphill battle while trying to advance their careers in the construction industry, but they are making strides. Women are working together to overcome the gender barrier and are supporting one another. A recent article in Biz Women, one of the Business Journals, explained that the demand for construction workers, as well as executives and professionals to lead the construction industry, is growing at a much faster pace. Culture in the construction workplace had been keeping many women from stepping up into those roles in the past. Between 2016 and 2026, the need for construction workers is expected to increase by 12%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many of those positions could be filled by women.

Looking at the Numbers

According to the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), as of 2016 more than 10 million people were employed in the construction industry. Of that number, slightly less than 10% were women. Of the 939,000 women working in the construction industry, about 45% were employed in sales and office support positions. When the numbers are broken down more, about 31% worked in management and professional roles with 21% of them in construction, natural resources, and maintenance positions. Another 1.5% worked in service occupations while another 1.4% worked in production, material moving, and transportation.

Looking at the Salary

On a positive note, women’s wages in the construction industry are almost equal to those wages earned by men. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that women earn about 97 cents on the dollar compared to men’s wages. With the growing demand for construction workers, women are now finding it much easier to get employed in the construction industry. Classrooms are seeing more women training for different roles in construction. Many of these women are undertaking specialized training to learn how to operate various equipment used for construction projects. The NAWIC reports that some classrooms for construction training now have as many women as men enrolled to complete the programs.

Qualified Applicants Needed

The Associated General Contractors of America released a survey that revealed 75% of construction firms had planned to increase their payrolls in 2018 because they felt comfortable about the strong economic outlook, regulatory burdens, and decreasing tax rates. But many of those construction firms who participated in the surveys reported that felt it is going to be more challenging to recruit and hire qualified construction workers this year while 78% already have been suffering challenges trying to find qualified and well-trained workers. To prepare yourself for a role in the construction industry, sign up for training. Call Associated Training Services today at (800) 383-7364 to learn more about our construction programs.

It probably doesn’t surprise readers to learn that over 200,000 women currently work as truck drivers. What is probably not known is that there are more than 100,000 women working as heavy equipment operators. It’s not just the older women who are looking for something to do once the kids have leave home either; there are a lot of young women who are also undertaking training in these fields.

So why are they entering what has in the past been considered a non-traditional career for women? Money is one lure as is the freedom that heavy equipment operators and truck drivers experience. There’s also the lure of power – not the kind of power that politicians crave; rather, it’s the power of the equipment. Being in control of a bulldozer that is pushing around tons of dirt each day is an incredible feeling for those who are new to this type of work.

Every woman will have her own reasons for considering a career as a heavy equipment operator. If you’re a woman and considering training to become a heavy equipment operator, I’m sure you will have your reasons – and for many, it’s a combination of those three – money, freedom and power. It’s the one area where anyone from any walk of life can work successfully in if they have had the right sort of training.

Heavy equipment operator training lays the foundation that opens doors to entry level work. Once you’re on the job, you can start to build on those skills. Modern equipment is easy to operate, and physical strength is no longer a requirement.

When it come to looking for work, you’ll be surprised how many employers readily hire women. They have a reputation for the meticulous, especially when it comes to attention detail, following plans, and completing the required paperwork that often comes with each job. If you’re a woman looking for a different career, consider joining the growing army of women truck drivers and heavy equipment operators.

Over the past ten years there has been a mini-boom in the number of women taking on truck driving careers. It’s understandable. In the past, truck drivers needed to be strong and well bulked up in the upper part of the body. There were two reason; the first, was simply steering those old tractor-trailers. I mean, we are talking about a period, not all that long ago either, when power steering was virtually unknown – you needed brute strength to handle that steering wheel. These days, power steering makes the process a breeze.

Truck drivers also needed a certain level of strength to tie down their loads. These days, there are untold strap tightening devices to help out – a seven year old could learn to tie down a load. Strength is no longer the issue so that has opened the door to women to train as truck drivers.

ATS Truck Driver Training Schools can now prepare students for a truck driving career in as little as three weeks. Add another week or so to obtain your Class A Commercial Drivers License and you’re ready for the road. Are women being employed as truck drivers? They most certainly are. They are proving to be skilled, reliable and much tougher mentally sometimes than the men.

If a career driving trucks sounds appealing to you, contact us at ATS Truck Driver Training Schools – we will have you in the driver’s seat in no time – man or woman. When it comes to driving trucks, there is little in the way of discrimination to consider.