Women of color make up less than 1% of construction jobs in Rochester. A program hopes to change that

Apr. 6—ROCHESTER — Diamond Harriel hadn't considered a job in construction until last year.

Her father works in the industry, but she never envisioned she'd be in the same field.

"I already knew about (jobs in construction), but didn't really know that females had a role, because you don't see it," she said. "Especially back then, you didn't see it as much."

Last month, she joined Kraus Anderson Construction Co. as a project coordinator and discovered how wrong she was.

The Louisiana native landed in Rochester, looking for a new career after serving in the military.

She started on a nursing track, working as a certified nursing assistant and putting military-honed administration skills to work, but she began to realize it wasn't the career path for her.

Today, she sees a future in construction, from helping coordinate work being done by Kraus Anderson to eventually working to develop affordable housing.

"Now that I see where all the opportunities lie, I'm seeing this as something I want to do," she said.

A participant in the Jeremiah Program, Harriel was introduced to training options through the

Equity in the Built Environment program

,

launched by the city of Rochester in late 2022.

The goal of the program is to increase the number of BIPOC women in construction and related occupations, ranging from support jobs to financing and the development of buildings and other infrastructure.

The program is funded through

a $1 million Mayor's Challenge grant

provided by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Government Innovation program and is being done in partnership with Workforce Development Inc. by adding to the potential career pathways already offered by the nonprofit.

"There are plenty of opportunities out there," Rochester Mayor Kim Norton said. "Our challenge is reaching people who have never considered this career, either because of gender, cultural constraints or lack of exposure. That's why this is taking the extra focus."

Chao Mwatela, Rochester's diversity, equity and inclusion director, said the finer focus on a demographic that saw significant employment impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic is why the grant funding was needed.

"Because it is so specific to women of color in the construction industry, I don't think it could have been something easily implemented, particularly if it was public funding," she said. "You are talking about two intersecting identities with a level of controversy around it."

With women of color making up approximately 13% of Rochester's population, they hold less than 1% of construction-related jobs in the city, even as the industry reports a need for additional workers.

"We did this thinking of DMC and our city project, then Mayo Clinic made its announcement," Norton said, pointing to estimates of 2,000 construction jobs being created by the planned $5 billion Mayo Clinic expansion and added need elsewhere in the city.

"If we are going to need several thousand construction workers, we need men, we need women, we need anyone who is interested to help grow and build the city of Rochester," she said.

The effort started with discussions between local employers and women of color, with participants reaching out to others in the community. During these discussions, they discovered a lack of awareness about construction jobs and related career pathways that can reportedly offer hourly wages ranging from $28 to $51.

Julie Brock, project manager for Equity in the Built Environment, said insights to construction-related jobs can start with the trades readiness training developed through a partnership between Workforce Development Inc. and Rochester Community and Technical College. The equity effort can help pay related costs for participants in the course that provides skills and insights needed for a variety of construction and development related jobs.

Harriel is the first and only participant to land a job as a program participant and only two BIPOC women are currently enrolled in the RCTC course, but Brock said 50 women have sought information regarding the program in the past nine months.

While anyone interested in a potential development-related career can enroll, Brock said women of color often face unique barriers to participation in a program that doesn't necessarily guarantee a job.

"Many of the women of color in our community, perhaps are underemployed, working two to three jobs, raising a family. To ask them to drop all that and join us for a 'maybe', that's a big ask," she said, adding that providing child care and transportation support through the Bloomberg grant can help encourage women to consider the option.

In addition to women seeking jobs, the Equity in the Built Environment program also provides an entrepreneurial track, which aims to help BIPOC women establish businesses that support local development.

Through the entrepreneurial track, Equity in the Built Environment can help BIPOC women connect with partners and support needed to start their own businesses in the industry, which features a variety of subcontracting opportunities.

"Women and minorities have been inheriting disparities from one generation to another," said Wafa Elkhalifa, equitable development coordinator for the Destination Medical Center Economic Development Agency. She was a co-designer helping create the Equity in the Built Environment before joining the DMC EDA.

Among the eight new businesses supported last year is Sara Tekle's Anfaani Construction, which offers craft labor services, like installing flooring, preparing spaces for remodeling and cleaning up after construction.

Tekle started on her path in 2014, after purchasing a home to share with her three sons following a divorce. The home needed repairs, and the newly single mother opted to tackle some of the work herself and work alongside people she hired.

A part-time nurse, she eventually decided construction-related work was a better fit for her.

The Equity in the Built Environment program has provided training through Workforce Development Inc. and helped her purchase needed startup equipment and services.

"They have been a lot of support mentally, morally and financially," she said. "It's been a big support."

Tekle has also been supported by Knutson Construction, through the company's Knutson Alliance Program, which mentors diverse businesses as potential subcontractors.

Ramona Wilson, Knutson's diversity director, said the alliance program helps the company access a larger, more diverse workforce.

Rochester's Equity in the Built Environment program is helping companies build on such efforts by encouraging them to seek Inclusive Workforce Employer designation through Workforce Development Inc. The program, which is available to all employers in Southeast Minnesota, seeks to encourage constant improvement in addressing issues related to recruiting and maintaining a diverse workforce.

Through the Bloomberg grant, built-environment businesses can receive up to $6,000 to conduct a diversity, equity and inclusion assessments and training needed to be a designated company.

Aaron Benike, vice president of operations for Benike Construction, participated in early discussions that led to the Equity in the Built Environment program and said working toward creating an inclusive workforce designation is important.

"Construction sites are intimidating places for most people anyway, and in many ways that's a good thing, because if you aren't supposed to be a member of the construction team you shouldn't be on the worksite," he said.

He added those potential challenges grow for people who aren't already represented on the site.

"That intimidation experience probably intensifies," he said.

Kraus Anderson, Benike and Knutson are seeking Inclusive Workforce Employer designation, but their representatives cited a lack of BIPOC women in the local workforce to serve as mentors.

Mariaha Dean, the BIPOC owner of Roseville-based Eden Resources and a Kraus Anderson subcontractor, said those mentors will be important for long-term diversity in the workforce.

Dean, whose company is a subcontractor on Rochester's Soldiers Field Memorial Park upgrades, started her career with a focus on interior design, but later found her niche in managing construction projects.

Along the way, she said having supportive mentors was key, but she lacked BIPOC and female advisors.

"I consider myself from the old-school guard, so my mentors looked nothing like me," she said. "They were predominantly white men. ... They were men 20 to 30 years my senior."

The result led to frequently needing to defend or justify her place on a project, since others did not understand her personal vantage point.

"The area that bothered me the most was in the instances where I did get challenged or did get flat-out embarrassed or did get obvious resistance, there was no one in the room who really knew how to protect me," she said.

"I often had to stand in the gap for myself to say, 'Hey, your tone was out of order or pipe it down,'" she added. "I'd have to repivot the conversation as a junior or entry staffer among the senior leaders of a project or business."

Today, she said her company and others want to change that by supporting young workers of color.

"We have to absolutely model it and show them what that looks like so they can buy in," she said.

Wilson at Kraus Anderson agreed, pointing out she feels it's important that BIPOC women and other minority workers know they will be supported.

"I think just being there as a resource to individuals of color and knowing they can come back to you, especially with me being African American, to another person of color, I think it speaks volumes," she said. "It says to them, 'I have someone I can connect with if I run into problems.'"

Brock said developing mentors among BIPOC women is a goal, but it might not happen in the grant's three-year timeframe.

"We know programs like this take time to be established in a way that is sustainable," she said.

While the goal of adding 68 BIPOC women in local jobs was defined in the grant proposal, Mwatela said the numbers aren't as important as the potential for long-term change.

"With any equity work, folks are always looking for that thing — the number of women or the shiny thing that happens — but I don't see that as a measure of success," she said. "I always see sustainability as a measure of success."

Program organizers said one key to that sustainability will be reaching students as they are making career choices and before past stereotypes about construction and related work sets in.

Part of that work started last year at John Marshall High School as approximately 100 students across all demographics were exposed to added information about built-environment careers.

A larger group this spring participated in the same course, leading to a business-pitch project last month, which included identifying built-environment jobs needed to create proposed downtown businesses.

For junior Saritney Ngiem, pitching a gaming cafe with classmates offered new insights to jobs she already knew existed after being exposed to such opportunities through her aunt, who is an engineer.

"I get my inspiration from her," she said, adding that she's also learned that challenges remain for women of color in such jobs.

"Women who do these types of jobs don't get as much recognition as they should," she said.

Having worked with students in a project co-design effort to create the school program, Brock said it'll be important to reach students as they are discussing potential career paths.

"We're catching parents and families and students prior to registration (for career-based courses), so they know those are options for them," she said.

That work, while part of the Equity in the Built Environment program, won't likely produce new workers in the next two years, but Brock said it will set the community up for future success.

With grant funding set through June 30, 2025, Brock said continuing the work will require community support.

While the initial plan was to have the city continue to support the work, the Rochester City Council opted to shift it to a contract with Workforce Development Inc., rather than creating a new city department.

That shift means the work exists under the nonprofit's larger "Bridges to the Built Environment" program, which supports any of its clients looking for a job in construction or a related field.

As new foundations are laid and awareness of opportunity is raised, Brock said community partners — from organizations helping start-up businesses to trade unions — continue to look for ways to help BIPOC women who are interested in contributing to developing the city. Still, they also want to maintain flexibility to have the greatest impact.

"This has not been done before," she said. "It's really vital that we learn and adjust as we go, because nothing could be worse than encouraging a bunch of women of color to go into an industry that is not ready for them."