Colorado’s Transportation & Construction GIRL (T&C GIRL), an initiative founded by the HOYA Foundation, empowers young women to explore careers in construction and transportation through hands-on experiences and mentorship. With an annual event, the program offers interactive exhibits and real-world exposure to jobs in these industries, helping to close the gender gap, fill labor shortages, and give girls the self-confidence they need to be successful in construction.
At the heart of the HOYA Foundation’s efforts is the annual Transportation and Construction GIRL Day, which ran on September 26, 2024. Attendees operated heavy machinery, met industry mentors, and explored career possibilities in transportation and construction. The event aims to break down the barriers traditionally keeping women out of these fields by providing authentic, tangible experiences and connections with professionals.
Founded in 2016 by the HOYA Foundation, T&C GIRL was born from a desire to address the lack of women in trades, especially in Colorado, where only about 10% of the construction workforce is women. The state’s labor shortage is dire, with an estimated 45,000 new skilled trade workers needed in the coming years.
Led by Program Director Keller Hayes, T&C GIRL shows young women they can succeed in these rewarding, male-dominated fields. “I’ve spent a lifetime working on women’s issues. For the last 20 years, I have been coaching small businesses in the transportation and construction arena,” says Hayes. “We’re short on workforce. A lot of people are retiring from this industry, and at that time, only eight percent of the construction industry was women.”
Moreover, Hayes says that women and girls weren’t getting the training they needed early enough to combat the dwindling number of women in the industry, and no one was addressing the astounding lack of confidence among women in the trades. “Between middle school and high school, girls’ self-esteem plummets by 66%,” says Hayes. “Girls are terrified of heavy equipment. ‘Oh my God, I’ve never been on that; I might break it.’ I usually reply with: ‘Trust me. We got you. We’ll hold your hand, whatever we need to do. All we ask is that you just get on it.’ And then that self-doubt turns into this great big smile.”
It’s not just apprenticeships. It’s not just trade schools. It’s not just colleges. It’s not just about entering trades right out of high school. It’s all of those and then what fits you best.
Kellar Hayes, T&C GIRL Program Director
The HOYA Foundation has put together several programs that reach girls of different ages, with the goal of creating a feeder system for available training career options. “It’s not just apprenticeships. It’s not just trade schools. It’s not just colleges. It’s not just about entering trades right out of high school. It’s all of those and then what fits you best,” says Hayes.
See more: Superstar Women in Transportation & Construction video library.
She is passionate about helping girls see that they belong in these industries and can thrive there. “We worked with one young woman who started studying welding, and she was a junior in high school at the time,” recounts Hayes. “She said, ‘Keller, I know that my teachers think I’m stupid, but I don’t learn in a classroom environment.’ Once she discovered welding, she was thrilled. As soon as she graduated from high school, she started working for a woman-owned welding company. Welders can make up to $45 an hour. It’s a great career.”
With the gender pay gap in construction significantly smaller than the national average, T&C GIRL also emphasizes the financial benefits of a career in the trades. Women in construction can earn up to 99% of what their male counterparts make—compared to the overall 83.6% national average—making these jobs especially appealing to young women looking for job satisfaction and financial independence.
Beyond training, Hayes emphasizes that mentoring and shadowing are critical to girls’ success in trades and construction. “I have hundreds of women who are happy to mentor someone,” says Hayes. “I can say without reservation that the women in this industry are more willing than any other women I’ve worked with to reach back and support the next generation.”
The annual Transportation and Construction GIRL Day is catching fire; Hayes has seen attendance skyrocket from 600 attendees to 1200 last year and 1700 eager participants at this year’s event. “At one of our events, we asked our participants, ‘Have you ever considered a career in this industry?’ Then, after the event, we asked them, ‘Now would you consider a career in this industry?’ And we had a swing at 35%, which is pretty massive,” Hayes says.
“Pink isn’t just a color. It’s an attitude,” says Hayes. “That’s why we do it with just the girls. Because they really get to participate. They also get to see that they’re welcome in this industry.”
Hayes sees a bright future ahead for girls who want to enter construction and warns there are still hurdles to jump. “We are working towards taking T&C GIRL to other regions. I would love to take the whole program national,” says Hayes. “All it takes is money, which requires more than a bake sale. We don’t skip on safety initiatives; it takes real leaders stepping up. We’re not just changing career paths; we’re changing lifetimes.”
For more information on Transportation & Construction GIRL and how to get involved, visit T&C GIRL. For more information about the HOYA Foundation, visit their website.
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