Stephens College aims to get more women working in construction in light of I-70 expansion
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
As construction on the much-anticipated Interstate 70 widening project nears, a private women's college in Columbia is taking advantage of the upcoming project to promote a new apprenticeship program meant to create more diversity in the workforce.
Stephens College's Women in Trades pre-apprenticeship program works with partners in the construction industry to prime women for an apprenticeship and career in construction. The program, which will officially launch in April, is a pre-construction apprenticeship program, a basic carpentry apprenticeship program and a heavy highway construction apprenticeship program targeted at women.
Stephens College will be at the World of Works Career Fair at the Executive Center on April 11 for anyone who wants to learn more about the program.
Scott Taylor, executive director of Workforce Development at Stephens College, told ABC 17 News at the I-70 expansion bill signing that it will prepare women to work on the highway expansion.
"There is a big initiative, as everybody knows, to diversify the workforce," Taylor said. "This is a great way to do that, to provide that opportunity, giving these women the skill set they need to prepare them to go into an industry that's been predominantly run by men."
It was announced last month that the construction firm Millstone Weber, headquartered in St. Charles, Missouri, will build the expanded I-70 from Columbia to Kingdom City for $405 million. The Jacobs design firm will work with Millstone Weber.
In its proposal outline, Millstone Weber said it is committed to a diverse workforce. The Missouri Department of Transportation said it aims to have a workforce made up of 6.9% women working on the I-70 expansion project.
According to the National Association of Women in Construction, over 1.1 million women work in construction in the United States, making up about 9.9% of the country's construction workforce.
The expansion will include new lanes, new inside and outside shoulders and improved interchange designs at Highway 63 in Columbia and Highway 54 in Kingdom City. The proposal includes two new interchanges and four new roundabouts, the release says. The Highway 54 project includes two new bridges.
Two lanes of travel will be open in each direction at peak travel times, MoDOT says.
The funds for the part of I-70 that runs through Columbia include a planned $185 million aimed at improving the Highway 63 exit and fixing pavement issues. Another $410 million would go toward creating new bridges, replacing pavement and adding a new lane in each direction. Those lanes would be about 13 miles long.
Parts of the interstate that run through Columbia see an average of 50,100 vehicles daily, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation.
Lawmakers also agreed to add $5 million for an environmental study on Highway 63 from Cabool to Houston and $20 million for an environmental study on the Interstate 44 corridor. These studies are in anticipation of future projects.
