SCOAR Supports Mississippi Women in Construction Program
Debbie Dickinson, Chairman of the SCOAR Workforce Development Committee, co-presented a scholarship award at the Moore Community House in Biloxi, Miss., to an individual in its Women in Construction program. Logan Brown, Vice-Chair of the SCOAR Workforce Development Committee, joined Dickinson in presenting the award. The scholarship was given as part of the Southeastern Construction Owners & Associates Roundtable (SCOAR) Skilled Trades Scholarship Program, through the Workforce Development Committee.
The Moore Community House received a grant from SCOAR and the Southern States Millwright Regional Council (SSMRC) to enhance its Women in Construction program. The grant allowed Moore Community House to choose a student from the program to receive a scholarship in the form of DEWALT tools.
“Those entering the workforce are often expected to provide their own basic tool set, so being able to provide the scholarship winner with quality tools is a great way to set her up for long-term success,” said Brown, Eastern District Director for SSMRC.
Through the Women in Construction program, women receive industry-recognized credentials along with an intensive curriculum with both hands-on learning and theory, making them knowledgeable, skillful, and labor ready. The program also helps to meet the demand for a trained workforce on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
“I am thrilled that I was able to award the scholarship winner with her tools,” said Dickinson, CEO of CIS. “Programs such as this one are essential to our industry’s growth. It empowers women to enter a male dominated field and provides them with the training and skills that they need to succeed.”
“Each month, the SCOAR Workforce Development Committee chooses a state to sponsor and grants funds to a local education institution and one of its students. There are a lot of really good existing workforce development programs which are embedded in their communities. SCOAR awards these grants to encourage and support the work these institutions are doing,” said Steve Greene, Executive Director of SCOAR.
