TRAINING & EDUCATION
GIRL POWER
Early education key to increasing women’s representation in skilled trades By Clare Tattersall
A
new book aims to help bridge the gap of the skilled labour shortage by educating and exposing children, particularly young girls, to construction-related careers and elevating women in the industry. Titled The House that She Built, young readers will learn about 18 different and inspiring STEAM (an acronym for science, technology, engineering, arts and math) and construction careers through the tradeswomen who contribute their individual skills to complete the collective project — a new home. “A book celebrating women choosing construction as a career path and being 14
\\ August/September 2021
successful within is long overdue,” says Acacia Ashick, vice-president of the Canadian Association of Women in Construction (CAWIC) and construction project coordinator for Urbacon. “Children and even adults are conditioned to think (construction) is only a ‘man’s job’ and this world has no place for feminine success. It is important to teach children, especially at a young age, that this industry not only (provides a) viable but also a fruitful career and journey that includes job security, stability and room for growth.” This is the goal of the book’s author, Mollie Elkman, and illustrator, Georgia
Castellano. The pair, who work together at homebuilder marketing agency, Group Two, hope it cultivates curiosity about skills development and careers in construction at an age where self-esteem and identity are being formed. Ashick is optimistic it will. “Kids are like sponges and this is a critical time in their life that they will soak up this idea and hopefully carry it as they continue to grow and fulfill a job and career,” she says. Produced by BuilderBooks, the publishing arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the book is inspired by the team of real women who came together
