Triad Nonprofit Teaches Women Construction Skills

 “It is something that it’s going to always be an ongoing need, and because it’s an ongoing need … they’re always going to be able to fall back on that skilled trade.”

Women measuring, sawing, hammering, and building. All traditional male-dominated skills, but at She Built This City in Greensboro, women are learning they can be carpenters and plumbers too, even if they have no experience.

“Some of the participants that come into the program, they’ve never even picked up a hammer. They’ve never even used a screwdriver,” says Boston. “We supply all of that. We show them the proper way to put that stuff on, how to use those proper materials.”

 She Built This City offers a free nine-week course with both day and night classes, teaching students everything they need to know about construction. It’s a challenge physically as well as mentally.

“We’ve learned how to measure,” says participant Tociana July. “We’ve done a ton of math, so like a lot of fractions, and turning those fractions into whole numbers and looking at decimals, just things that you wouldn’t think that you would actually utilize, but when you’re measuring, and you have to do quick math, it really does come in handy.”

The program began in Charlotte, then spread to Greensboro, where Boston was one of the first students. She says many of the women who enroll are looking for a career change.

“This is a pivoting motion that a lot of the ladies are doing,” she says. “They are transitioning from a world where they lived for 25 years or so, and now going into the trade world, it’s totally different. So instilling confidence and motivation is something that we push and we encourage the ladies to speak and accept the help from us. We want them to know that we’re here to help and support them.”

That support includes providing free child care for students on site and help finding a job after completing the program. Some sign on with construction companies. Others sign on with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. Instructors say it’s especially rewarding to see women immerse themselves in the experience even when it’s physically challenging at first.

“My favorite part is when that light turns on, when they figure out, ‘oh, wow, I need to get some more muscles in my wrists,’” says Tiffany Perrin-Cole, a night instructor. “Yeah, you need the muscles so you can send the nail into a piece of wood. You got to know how to hammer.”

A $20,000 dollar grant from the Women to Women Fund, which is hosted at the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, helps keep the program free for participants who want not just a new job, but a new life they can love.

“We want them to be able to come into this She Built This City program and know that we’re not just wanting you to get the trade and understand it,” says Boston. “We want you to enjoy this trade. We want you to know that you have now gained a partner. We are not going to just let you go. We’re going to check in after you get graduated and you successfully, you know, leave our program, we still check in with you.”

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