Pink hard hats took the place of graduation caps as 18 women celebrated the completion of Women Building Futures on October 17.
Graduation ceremonies took place in the Community Room at the HCC SouthShore campus.
Women Building Futures is a unique program designed to help women explore higher paying career options in the growing construction field. The Helen Gordon Davis Centre for Women created the program in 2015 to help meet the market demand for construction workers and provide new opportunities for women to pave their way to economic prosperity.
Graduation marks not only the achievements of the SouthShore Class of 2019, but also a highly successful collaboration with Enterprising Latinas and HCC SouthShore in making the program available to more women in Hillsborough County.
The program is funded by Hillsborough County with additional support from Regions Bank and the local chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction.
Women Building Futures is a 15-week program that contains more than 80 hours of classes to learn carpentry, drywall, painting, block masonry/finishing, flooring and construction administration. Graduates who successfully complete all requirements will earn certifications from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) and OSHA 10.
Ann W. Madsen, executive director of The Centre for Women, said she is especially grateful to Enterprising Latinas and HCC SouthShore for the incredible effort they put into making this class a success.
“This has been a very successful partnership. We are working together to empower women with skills needed to achieve success and meet the demand for construction workers,” Madsen said.
The Helen Gordon Davis Centre for Women is a nonprofit organization offering a diverse array of programs to help women in the Tampa Bay region.
For more information on future classes, visit www.thecentre.org/programs/services-for-older-adults/women-building-futures.
