Sixty-one students representing 54 universities attended Kiewit’s Women’s Construction Leadership Seminar (WCLS) events in Colorado and Ontario in January. The participants, collegiate females studying construction and engineering, were joined by Kiewit employees to discuss what it takes to have a successful career in the industry. The two-day events included a dinner and roundtable discussions with some of Kiewit’s female leaders, and a hands-on workshop spent designing an outreach initiative to encourage young women in elementary through high school to consider a career in construction and engineering. Attendees were also able to tour technical welding, piping and electrical labs at the U.S. event, and take a virtual project tour at the Canadian event.
This was Kiewit’s tenth year hosting its Women’s Construction Leadership Seminar (WCLS), and its second year hosting events in both the U.S. and Canada. Nearly 500 attendees from 123 universities have attended the event through the years.
Here’s what participants had to say about this year’s event:
“It helped me believe in myself that I need to speak up
to my ideas and don’t be shy to share what I am passionate in.”“The technical session gave me a lot of confidence, I would have never imagined I would ever weld and was a step outside of my comfort zone. By doing this hands-on activity, I proved to myself that what I can do is limitless and that I’m the only thing holding myself back. Additionally, getting to network with the other girls and being engaged in the presentations allowed me [to] hear some wise words and strategies that I can bring back to my university.”
“I really enjoyed the seminar and am so thankful I was given the opportunity to come! It’s awesome to see a company who really cares about young women in the industry and supporting them. I definitely left with a lot of new knowledge that I hope I can pass on to fellow students and help them succeed and hopefully we can all grow together.”
