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Chapter Meetings
Meetings are held the third Wednesday of each month in varying locations from Portland to Augusta and beyond. Programs include job site tours, tradeswomen and member panels, hands-on and community service projects, industry professional, and association speakers. If you would like more information on our monthly meetings, please send us an email at [email protected].
Maine Construction Career Days
This event was born from that desire with the goal of this event to begin to build an awareness of the construction industry as a viable option for a career path right out of high school. There is a similar event in New Hampshire and that has been a huge success for many years, and it did not take much for us to realize we needed to bring this to Maine.
Maine Construction Career Days is a hands-on experience and includes exhibitors and educational resources from across the State of Maine. It is attended by construction companies, school districts, state agencies, labor unions, trade and professional organizations. It is a collaborative event that provides students with an introduction to various aspects of construction. Students get an opportunity to operate a mini excavator or skid steer and actually move dirt around, steer a boom lift, operate a 50-ton hydraulic crane, use a welding torch in a hands-on welding tent or a virtual welding simulator. For those students up to the challenge, there is an engineering bridge building contest. A Girls Can Too Challenge designed to get female student participation as well. Both challenges give the students a chance to win some amazing prizes. There is lots of information regarding apprenticeship opportunities in the construction and transportation sectors as well. In past years over 800 students and 65 vendors participated in the event.
This event allows NAWIC Maine Chapter 276 to provide valuable scholarships to students entering a career in the construction arena and over the past 30 years we have awarded over $500k in scholarships to students.
NAWIC Beyond the Chapter Level
NAWIC provides opportunities for members to attend a variety of meetings throughout the year. There are two regional meetings, Fall Conference, and Spring Forum. Each are hosted by the Northeast Region which has chapters in Connecticut, District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. The NAWIC Annual Convention is held in August in a large city somewhere in the 50 US states.
Other Events and Programs
NAWIC members nationwide participate in Habitat for Humanity and similar programs. Many chapters sponsor Blueprint Reading seminars and other training programs. The pride of NAWIC is the NAWIC Education Foundation, which provides construction education programs for students K–12. The Block Kids Program is designed for grades 1–6 and involves the construction of various structures with interlocking blocks. Building Design, the scale-model building program is for students at the junior-high/middle-school level. This team building project will be offered during the school year and will involve constructing a structure from architectural drawings. The CAD/Design Drafting Scholarship Competition is a contest designed for senior high students. The contest provides recognition to students for creative design, successful problem solving, and craftsmanship in preparing architectural drawings. Adult programs consist of Certified Construction Associate (CCA), Introduction to Construction, Construction Document Specialist, Construction Industries Technician and Legal Protection for Construction Subcontractors and Suppiers. For more information about these programs, go to www.nawiceducation.org.
Any woman who is employed in the construction industry is eligible for membership in NAWIC. Owners, managers and support staff of construction companies, subcontractors, engineering and architectural firms, tradeswomen, construction equipment dealers, construction bonding and insurance companies and agencies, construction material suppliers, construction trade association personnel or any other construction related entity all qualify. NAWIC is probably one of the best kept secrets in the construction industry, but we want to tell you more about our wonderful networking association. Email us using the address at the top of this page or write to NAWIC Maine Chapter 276, PO Box 818, Augusta ME 04332.
Eastern Maine Chapter
If you live or work northeast of Augusta, consider joining the Eastern Maine Chapter of NAWIC. Meetings are held the first Thursday of the month, rotating between Waterville, Pittsfield and Bangor. For more information about the chapter, click here to view their Facebook page. From there you can send a message and someone from the Eastern Maine Chapter will be happy to answer your questions.
Becoming a Member of NAWIC
If you you are interested in getting more information about the value of being a member of NAWIC or you already know you want to join our chapter, simply click here to go to the National Website and let the adventure begin.
