Repost: Order to give boost to minorities, women in construction

Mayor Francis Slay signs Executive Order #46
(Photo from the City of St. Louis)

10:04 AM, Dec 12, 2012

Written by Kristen Gosling

St. Louis (KSDK) -  St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay issued an executive order effective immediately to try and increase the number of women and minorities involved in construction jobs.

Executive Order #46 extends the existing workforce goals on city public works projects, commonly known as Board Bill 75, to all TIF projects that are $1-million or larger. The first such project will be the CORTEX project in the Central West End. CORTEX is embarking on a $186 million development that will bring 1,400 new jobs and 384,000 square feet of additional lab and office space to the district.

The workforce goals are as follows:

• Twenty five percent of labor hours are to be performed by minorities. 
• Five percent of labor hours are to be performed by women. 
• 20% of labor hours are to be performed by City residents, although those hours can also be counted towards the first two goals. 
• Fifteen percent of all hours are to be performed by apprentices enrolled in an approved training program, although those hours can be counted towards the first two goals.

The St. Louis Development Corporation and the St. Louis Area Agency on Training will implement the order.

The goals will be in effect until the city completes a disparity study next summer, whic would measure existing workforce capacity adn utilization. The disparity study will set new goals.

Read the original article at www.ksdk.com or watch video coverage of the story at www.fox2now.com.

Sources: KSDK and FOX2Now

Repost: Woman of Distinction Award 2013 Call for Entries

The Women in Concrete Alliance (WICA) has announced the call for entries for the third annual Woman of Distinction award.

The Award was created to celebrate women in the industry. To submit a nomination, send an email to kmoosmann@constructivecommunication.com with details on why this person is worthy of being selected. Be sure to include their full name, title, company, years in the industry as well as a paragraph about their accomplishments. Don't forget your contact information!

The deadline for all nominations is December 31, 2012. The winner will be announced at the World of Concrete on February 6, 2013.

Read the full press release at www.womeninconcrete.org.

Source: Women in Concrete Alliance (WICA)

Repost: Zimbabwe - Storming Into a Man's World

BY FORTIOUS NHAMBURA, 7 DECEMBER 2012

Charlotte Chani - clad in worksuit, helmet on her head and a trowel in hand - walks confidently to her workplace. It is 7.45am and Chani is about to start her day's work. She is bricklayer. As usual, she is the first to get to the workplace, something that even her male counterparts have failed to do. She has always accomplished her daily target of laying 600 bricks with ease despite being also the supervisor of the team.

Once her counterparts could not agree with Charlotte's choice to head the building brigade as they felt she was too young to lead them.

At 24, she commands a building brigade of 12 builders, with some men old enough to be her father.

But as destiny could have it prescribed, she has to lead and she does that with distinction.

For some of her workmates the hatred has now evolved into respect.

Charlotte is among the few women who have taken the construction industry by storm. They are bound not only to be part of the booming industry but to play a meaningful role in the sector that has been a male preserve.

That is the mission of the Zimbabwe Women in Construction Association, an organisation established with the primary objective of supporting women in the construction industry in Zimbabwe. The association is driven by the will to achieve more. ZWICA members are agreed that time has come to engender the sector and ensure more women participate fully in it.

Even companies with stakes in the construction industry are beginning to see the wisdom of bringing women in the sector and have started to contribute.

ZWICA president Mrs Elizabeth Chakadunga said years of working in a male-dominated environment had given her the zeal to open up opportunities for women in construction. As such she and others started the association of women in the construction industry.

Read the full article at allafrica.com.