SEMINOLE, Fla. — Far from the days of Rosie the Riveter, a group of teenage girls are finding a love for handiwork, not because they have to but because they want too. 

What You Need To Know

  • A new camp is building girls’ interest in construction careers. Richard O Jacobson Technical High School in Pinellas County teamed up with iBuild, the National Association of Women in Construction, and Pinellas County Schools to host a girls-only construction camp from July 22-25

  • With women making up just 10.8% of the workforce in construction, according to a 2023 Bureau Labor of Statistics report, this camp is all about changing that statistic

  • The camp offers hands-on construction skills, personal projects, and inspiring talks from industry leaders. Students are working together to build benches for Habitat for Humanity

  • The camp is designed to inspire and prepare the next generation of women in construction with support from top industry partners and educational institutions

“I've learned how to cut wood, in case I want to like add like a wood exterior to something, I can cut it," said Pinellas Girls Construction Camp participant Nova Comey. "I've learned how to use a drill and screw stuff in. I learned how to use like a hammer and how to hammer it in correctly."

Comey is 13, and said she is excited to be a part of Pinellas County's first-ever, girls-only construction camp. The camp is put on by Pinellas County Schools, iBuild, and the National Association of Women in Construction at Richard O. Jacobson Technical High School. 

On this day, the girls were learning about electrical wiring and how to add that to the framework of a building. 

“They'll show me how to do it, and then they'll be like, 'OK, your turn.' And I'm like, 'OK, I'll try,'" Comey said. "Like, don't be afraid of it. If you mess up, you mess up. You can just do it again.”

The U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows women only make up 10.8% of the construction workforce. 

Christine Ferry is the Tampa Chapter President of the National Association of Women in Construction. She works across Tampa Bay in the construction field. 

While she has seen an increase in the number of women in the field over the years, she said it is far from equal. 

“Is it as many as I'd like to see? No, but I think there's a reason why," said Ferry, the site superintendent at Construction Services Inc. of Tampa. "I think there's also some women are worried about how they're going to be treated when they get on a job site.” 

She said that was a big reason she decided to participate in the camp — she wants young girls to see and learn from a woman in the field. 

“We already know women can do it," Ferry said. "We remember World War II. The men went off to fight and the women were able to build those bombers and build those munitions and help win the war. So we already know women can do it. I think the problem is just social messaging."

“A lot of girls want to do this, but they're scared because of what the world will say that they can't do," Comey said. "So, like, coming here is like making them feel better about wanting to be in the construction site.”

Along with daily speakers from Tampa Bay Construction Companies, the girls also built benches for Habitat for Humanity.