Through Callahan Construction Managers’ (Callahan) ongoing partnership with Quincy High School’s Community Partnership Program, the Bridgewater-based full-service construction management firm recently hosted a Women in the Trades Summit with Quincy High School Career & Technical Education.
The half-day summit provided an opportunity for female students enrolled in non-traditional career programs, their teachers, and guidance counselors to learn first-hand about opportunities for women in the skilled trades, along with personal insights from women actively working in these fields. A total of 208 girls from Quincy High School, ranging from freshmen to seniors, attended the summit, which welcomed representatives of community organizations, developers, contractors, government employees and building trades unions.
“We are thrilled by the response to our Women in the Trades Summit, both from our partners in the skilled trades and within our community in Career & Technical Education,” said Keith Segalla, Executive Director of Career & Technical Education (CTE) and Instructional Technology with Quincy Public Schools. “We value Callahan’s commitment to helping establish this open dialogue with our students, which provides them with invaluable insights into career paths and general opportunities for personal growth.”
Each of the three sessions provided the chance for students, both enrolled in the CTE program and those considering enrollment, as well as CTE teachers, the opportunity to interact directly with participants, who offered open dialogue on their career experience, challenges faced within their respective industries and insights to creating successful tracks for career progression.
In addition, the Women in the Trades Summit featured opportunities for networking with trade unions, community groups and student organizations to further assist participants who are seeking a career pathway in skilled trades. Summit participants included Callahan, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, IBEW Local 103, Ironworkers Local 7, City of Quincy Building Department, and the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office for Career/Vocational Technical Education.
“We are actively committed to the development of the future generation of our industry and we continually seek opportunities to provide hands-on education,” said Patrick Callahan, President of Callahan Construction Managers. “Supporting the progression of women in the industry is of vital importance, and this summit offers an engaging forum to empower young women to capitalize on opportunities in the industry they may have traditionally overlooked.”
In addition to this summit, Callahan is actively involved with Quincy School ~ Community Partnership's President's Path and Career Connections as part of its Constructing Communities program. This past school year, the company has partnered with select CTE classes to providea hands-on experience toeducate senior-level students about the engineering and construction industry through job shadowing, active site visits, regular interaction and co-ops.
As a family-owned, community focused business, Callahan’s Constructing Communities program reflects the family culture of the firm and strives to support the local economy and workforce. Constructing Communities is one of the many ways Callahan engages in proactive community outreach efforts, which includes buying local, hiring local, and employing local trades people. Callahan also actively participates in volunteer activities with local nonprofits and involvement in community events.
About Callahan: Callahan Construction Managers is a full-service construction management company that has served the New England and Northeast regions as a family business for more than 65 years. As one of the region’s largest open shop construction firms, Callahan provides a wide range of preconstruction and construction management services to local, regional, and national clients. Callahan enforces a high quality and innovative approach to all projects, including multi-family residential, senior housing, hospitality, retail, corporate office, life sciences, educational, and other markets. Visit http://callahan-inc.com/ for more information.
