IRVING, TEXAS, March 21, 2015 -- The American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA), a nonprofit organization primarily composed of concrete pipe manufacturers in the United States and Canada, acknowledges the successes of its engineers and applauds the contributions of women in particular in the engineering industry.
Women in engineering and manufacturing are valuable in the concrete pipe industry. Working in such high-profile careers as entrepreneurs, directors, designers, health and safety specialists, managers, and marketing and sales representatives, all strengthen an industry that provides a vital service and range of products for America's network of sanitary and storm sewers and culverts.
ACPA members support organizations involved in the career development of young women who are building careers in engineering. The Women in Concrete Alliance (WICA), for example, held its first major event in Cartagena, Colombia, in August, 2014, where more than 120 people attended. The event will be repeated in the Reunion del Concreto in 2016.
The objective of WICA is to supply information, opportunities and mentoring to women working in the concrete construction industry. The mission of the organization is centered on positive information that will help women network and be successful. Likewise, the idea for an ongoing network began with Hanley Wood's Women in Concrete event.
The Iberoamerican Federation of Ready Mixed Concrete (FIHP) made an agreement with WICA to highlight the role of women in the construction sector. FIHP is planning an event -- "Women, Social Responsibility and Sustainability in Construction" -- on the first day of the International Concrete Sustainability conference held in conjunction with the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association on May 11, 2015, at the Intercontinental Hotel in the city of Miami, Fla.
The Committee on Women in Science, Engineering and Medicine, a standing committee in the Policy and Global Affairs division of the National Research Council, reported that engineering bachelor's degrees awarded to women grew by 5.6 percent during 2011, reaching 83,001. Almost all fields grew in the number of graduates.
ACPA is a strong supporter of the Concrete Industry Management Program at Middle Tennessee State University that has introduced an executive MBA program in concrete and construction management. Women seeking careers in the concrete industry have graduated from the program, and there is now even more opportunity through the program. The concrete pipe industry encourages women to grow involved in an industry that only grows stronger with time.
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