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Seattle-based construction and engineering firm McKinstry has launched a national initiative to expand programs geared to introduce girls and young women to the building trades.

There are two components of the Building Futures program, said Ashley Ruiz, vice president of social impact at McKinstry. One is philanthropic investment, and the other is targeted community service and engagement by McKinstry professionals.

鈥淲e’re kicking that off with a handful of investments to a number of different partners, including (Portland-based) Girls Build, who we are very excited to partner with,鈥� Ruiz said.

The initial focus is on programs that reach girls in middle school or high school. The goal is to increase their awareness of career opportunities in the building industry early in their education. Women are significantly underrepresented in engineering and construction, said Laura Swapp, McKinstry’s social impact program director.

鈥淭he earlier you begin to see the possibilities, the more likely you are to move on that path,鈥� she said.

Middle school is the ideal time to reach girls and build their confidence, Swapp said.

鈥淎 lot of young women have never seen a woman in construction and engineering,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is an opportunity for us to show the next generation of girls that there is creative, fulfilling and satisfying careers in construction and engineering.鈥�

The McKinstry Charitable Foundation will donate $1 million by 2030 to nonprofit partners that provide hands-on, industry-relevant learning experiences in skilled trade and applied STEM careers. This year, a total of $200,000 will go to seven entities:

• Girls Build, for construction summer camps for girls ages 8-15 in Oregon and Washington,
• buildHER, for two construction summer camps for girls in grades 7-10 in Seattle,
• Washington State Opportunity Scholarship, for support of first-year students pursuing skilled trade and applied STEM careers,
• Washington Women in Trades, for a skilled trades summer camp for girls ages 11-14,
• Girl Up USA, for virtual and in-person STEAM programming nationwide,
• SheBuilds Futures, for expansion of construction design programs across Texas, and
• STEMblazers, for applied STEM pathway programming in Denver-area high schools.

鈥淲e really wanted to focus on these direct, hands-on experiences as being somewhat of our underlying theory of change in this particular initiative,鈥� Ruiz said.

In addition to skills, the girls also learn what it means to be part of a team and how to gain confidence in something they have never done before, Swapp said.

Girls Build, led by Executive Director Katie Hughes, aims to serve girls ages 8-15 鈥� primarily those in the foster care system. This year, summer camps will take place in Portland, Grants Pass, Talent, Sheridan, Tillamook, Warrenton and Morton, Washington. Most of the five-day, outdoor camps (including all three in Portland) have already sold out.

Programming for the summer camps is varied but includes carpentry, sheet metal, concrete, plumbing, solar, blacksmithing, and more.

Hughes said that through the program, she sees girls gain confidence (including socially), an interest in trying new things, and higher academic scores.

When girls are introduced to the trades at high school ages, it is a reach for them because they do not have knowledge or familiarity, Hughes said. That is why Girls Build starts working with girls as young as age 8.

Part of the Building Futures initiative is integrating a hands-on approach within McKinstry’s Building Good program, which is focused on community service and corporate volunteerism. A big part of that, Ruiz said, will be McKinstry professionals mentoring young people in either one-on-one or group settings. There will also be career exploration, jobsite or worksite tours, classroom visits and hands-on learning experiences, such as STEM challenges.

While 30 to 50 percent of graduating high school students are not interested in attending college, about half a million jobs in the construction and engineering industries sit unfilled, Swapp said.

鈥淭his is a match made in heaven where there are well-paid, fulfilling jobs,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are many young people that don’t know these are available to them as a path.鈥�