DURHAM
In an effort to get girls more interested in practical skills, a former homecoming queen who runs an electrical-contracting firm has recruited cheerleaders into her "Southern Women Work" after-school training program.
Lisa Pineiro, the 34-year-old president of Technical Services Inc., said she wanted to get the "girliest girls" in school in the program to show that all young women they can be handy with tools and still be feminine.
She even bought hot-pink hard hats and pink tool sets with screwdrivers, hammers and other essentials.
"We get to build stuff and look cute at the same time," said junior Kaylynn Webb, who wore a ruffled blouse along with plastic safety glasses during her training.
Women in the construction industry are outnumbered more than 30-to-1 by men, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Pineiro herself got into construction after her divorce when she needed more regular hours to accommodate her 2-year-old daughter's schedule. She now runs her own company with 92 employees, including her new husband.
"I think that it's certainly time for us to show not just young women, but the community at large, that this is a career field we should all aspire to, not settle for," Pineiro said.
Armani White showed up at the woodworking shop wearing a pearl necklace and 4-inch red stilettos, both of which she quickly ditched for a bare neck and black sneakers.
"Girls don't normally deal with power tools and hammers and things," said White, a junior. "I feel very comfortable now. I feel like I can go home, find my dad's tool box and go to work on something in the house."
That, Pineiro said, is her ultimate goal. "I hope that they take away a good deal of independence, they take their tool kits and attack personal projects with vigor," she said.
Their first project will come next month when the teens will put together a swing set donated by Durham Careers in Construction for a Habitat for Humanity family.
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