December Organization to Watch: SAW Youth Program

Quick read: The SAW Youth Program is a community program in the Boston area that supports young women aged 14-24 to build life skills to become successful community members, advocates, and tradeswomen.

Have you heard of the SAW Youth Program?

November 29, 2011

Dear Friends and Supporters:

The SAW Youth Program is seeking financial sponsors whose contributions will enable us to build and continue our program year round. Since the commencement of the program last year, we have established strong partnerships with other community organizations and incorporated many collaboration efforts that not only benefit our program but also strengthen the communities in which we live, work and are most effected. The SAW Youth Program was established for at-risk young women, ages 14-24 from seven neighborhoods in the Boston area: Roxbury, South End, Jamaica Plain, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, and Roslindale with the goal of getting them off the path of destruction and onto the path of construction. Through our program we promote life skills, health education & physical fitness, self-esteem, relationship building, secondary education planning, job readiness, television production, financial literacy and offer an array of awareness workshops such as anti-bulling, medical insurance basics, environmental awareness as well as an opportunity to consider a career in the building trades - in a safe and supportive environment. Currently all of our participants are from low-income families.

The SAW Youth Program is located at the Blackstone Community Center in the South End of Boston. This facility allows us to provide a safe haven for our participants to learn and grow to their full potential. In our first summer cycle, our goal was to enroll 24 at-risk young women in our program with a 100% completion rate. We are pleased to report that we had a success rate of 92%. Two of our participants acquired full time employment, one participant was accepted into a trade program and one participate was accepted into a GED program. The remainder of our participants returned to school and became valued members of our first Alumni Class. The Alumni Class was able to continue to use valuable resources throughout the fall which included but was not limited to, health and wellness training, post secondary education workshops, job search assistance, mentoring, tutoring, Drivers Education Training, computer training and membership to the Roxbury Boys & Girls Club now the Yawkey Club of Roxbury. It is now clear that our approach demands a 12 month involvement during which time we continue to build on the “Alumni” services which are needed in our communities.

SAW truly appreciates the support we have received from so many of you during our first two years and encourage you to remember the SAW Youth Program with its path of construction in your year-end charitable giving. State funding has been drastically reduced for teen programs while at the same time parents’ ability to pay their children’s way has become even more difficult. In order to continue to offer this unique program free to our participants, SAW will need all of our friends to give - whether they be churches/temples, foundations, city/state entities, local businesses or individual donors.

Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to help us expand and keep our program running at its highest level in 2012. Our fund-raising goal for this effort is $137,000. Thank you for your interest and investment in our young women of Boston.

Sincerely,

Me’Chelle “Mikey” Myles, Executive Director

Female trades a step forward

Female trades a step forward

BY PAT BARRY, EDMONTON JOURNAL DECEMBER 12, 2011

Retrieved from http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/Female+trades+step+forward/5845615/story.html

Progress has been made since the late 1980s in acceptance of women on construction job sites, says Pat Barry, a former president of the Calgary Construction Association.

Photograph by: Brian Gavriloff, The Journal, File, Edmonton Journal

Re: "Union aims to smooth trades work for women," edmontonjournal.com, Nov. 7.

This article on unions smoothing ways for women to work in trades in the construction industry made me realize how slow the construction industry is to fully accepting that women can be a great source of skilled labour, while also recognizing the equality of male and female employees.

Back in the late 1980s I was president of the Calgary Construction Association. One objective of mine was to promote and encourage the hiring of women in the trades. To reinforce this principle I arranged to have a female appointed director-atlarge of the association. I believe this was the first time our association had a female director.

It took some time to convince contractors to accept the idea of women in the trades on job sites. First of all there were few, if any, qualified females with trade certification. Also there were the usual comments about the weaker sex unable to do work that required "strong" men and the need for separate washrooms on job sites, parenting and pregnancies, etc. Some contractors were genuinely concerned about the new issues having women on job sites would present, and how they could be addressed. Some other contractors were reluctant to even consider the matter.

But progress was made even though it took a long time. Recently a woman was elected president of the Calgary association.

The Journal article seems to indicate that real progress is being made and I hope it continues. Admittedly, construction job site "physical" work is a non-traditional occupation for women. It is encouraging to see progress.

Pat Barry, Saint-Lambert, Que.

Integrated Sciences Complex Webcam of the UMass Boston Integrated Sciences Complex (ISC)

Integrated Sciences Complex Webcam

This live webcam shows the footprint of the Integrated Sciences Complex (ISC), now under construction at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The ISC is located near the entrance of the university, adjacent to the Healey Library and Quinn Administration Building. Anticipated to open for classes in September 2013, the ISC will advance student and faculty access, engagement, and success with state-of-the-art research, teaching, and training laboratories.

Retrieved from: http://www.umb.edu/news_events_media/construction/isc_webcam/

How dads can help their daughters get a job in the trades

Posted on 17/11/2011 by Your Rights at Night

Retrieved from http://yourrightsatnight.com/2011/11/17/how-dads-can-help-their-daughters-get-a-job-in-the-trades/

The call has been issued to fathers of Australia to teach your daughters to use hand tools. The call, issued by SALT – Supporting and Linking Australian Tradeswomen – coincided with the inaugural Women in Industry Conference, held in Sydney last week.

Maxine Winkley caught up with founder of SALT, Fiona Shewring, to find out more about SALT and how dads can help.

Download interview

http://saltaustralia.org/

Korean Sit-In atop Crane Defeats Job Cuts

Korean Sit-In atop Crane Defeats Job Cuts

by Kap Su Seol | Thu, 11/10/2011 - 2:30pmRetrieved from: http://labornotes.org/blogs/2011/11/korean-sit-atop-crane-defeats-job-cuts

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After 309 days sitting in on top of a 115-foot shipyard crane, a South Korean welder has won an agreement that her multinational employer will rehire 94 laid-off workers.

Each will get $20,000 in back pay.

Ending her sit-in in triumph over Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Company, Kim Jin-suk called the action “one last fight to win.”

South Korean unions have not defeated corporations’ job cuts since 1997, when layoff rules were eased during the Asian financial crisis. That move was intended to break the region’s long-held tradition of lifetime employment.

Kim rallied support to her cause via Twitter. Her supporters, calling themselves the Hope Riders, first gathered and discussed online and then occupied the streets of Busan and Seoul, the country’s capital.

Kim survived Hanjin’s attempts to cut off her food, water, and electricity, and also her union leadership’s attempts to isolate her and her co-workers by clandestinely agreeing to a new contract.

Each time she was threatened, the Hope Riders mounted larger and larger street protests, defying the riot police and right-wing thugs who confronted them.

The Hope Riders grew strong enough to push the National Assembly to mediate a deal between Hanjin and the union.

On October 9 at the legislature, Hanjin’s chairman tearfully agreed to pay laid-off workers and reinstate them within a year—if the sit-in ended. Most of the 400 originally laid off had already taken buyouts. Kim and the Hope Riders helped bring back the jobs of 94 of the remaining 98.

On November 9, in one last move to avert the union’s victory, 500 riot police surrounded Crane 85 to arrest Kim and effectively aborted a union vote to approve the deal. After fierce protests, police finally withdrew. A day later, union members unanimously approved the agreement.

When the 52-year-old Kim occupied the control room of Crane 85 nearly a year ago, her co-workers feared the action would end the same way as another crane sit-in, conducted by Kim Ju-ik, who hanged himself after 129 days protesting job cuts in 2002.

Touching the ground for the first time, Kim Jin-suk said, “I wanted to prove that the cause for which I have been fighting half of my life and for which many comrades have died is right.”

She was escorted by supporters to a hospital for medical checks. Plainclothes police officers are now surrounding the hospital, waiting for a chance to arrest her for illegal occupation and trespassing.

Using the same cell phone she employed to motivate tens of thousands of new activists into action in South Korea, Kim addressed the general assembly of Occupy Wall Street in New York on October 8 through an interpreter.

She declared her sit-in part of “a global fight against corporate nastiness.” Kim’s triumph adds to the momentum of the rising global protest against the 1 percent.

Kap Su Seol is a research analyst by day and a freelance writer at night. He is currently at work writing a corporate history of Samsung, South Korea’s multinational conglomerate.

Training for women in construction (UK only)

Training for women in construction

---

21/11/2011 10:13:00

Retrieved from: http://www.constructaquote.com/79/section.aspx/1899/women-in-construction-industry

If you’re a woman working in the construction industry and want to push ahead in your career, a new training programme from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) is offering subsidised training. As part of the ‘Women and Work’ programme the ConstructionSkills have design two short courses to support women in the construction industry move into management roles. The courses are specific to women working in construction and aim to give them knowledge and skills to progress up the career ladder in the industry.

A spokesperson for the CITB said, ‘As part of our work to deliver the right skills for economic growth locally and nationally, we invest industry funds to help construction businesses up-skill their workforce, enabling them to meet new challenges and take advantage of business opportunities.’

‘The Women and Work programme gives women a helping hand to improve their current skills, or learn something completely new, whatever their goal.’ The programme offers a three day introduction to the construction industry for new comers and a five day Institute of Leadership and Management course specifically tailored to the needs of the industry, for women in management. The courses are being held at locations across the UK and run until March 2012.

Women attending are fully subsidised and their employers are asked to contribute towards costs, £90 for the 3 day course and £180 for the 5 day course and funding in kind by time of work for attendance.

To be eligible to apply for the course you must be over 16, living in the UK (the courses are open to women from Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England), currently working for a construction company. Find out more by contacting the Women and Work programme on 0300 456 5037. Places are limited so act now if you’re interested.

Are you a woman working in the construction industry, what challenges do you face progressing in management? What training and support do you need?

Hire a Woman: Recruiting Women for your Workforce, a guide published by Tradeswomen, Inc.

Tradeswomen, Inc. publication for employers, a guide to hiring women in construction

Retrieved from http://www.tradeswomen.org/PDFs/HireAWoman-recruit.pdf

Hire a woman: Recruiting women for your workforce

Why you want to …

Good workers are in short supply

■ For every four people who leave the trades,
through retirement or otherwise, the apprenticeship
programs supply only one new person to enter
the trades.

■ The average age of today’s construction worker is
39 years old.


■ The Department of Labor estimates that the
construction industry will need to hire about
240,000 new workers each year for the next five
years. But only about 150,000 new workers will
come into the trades, creating a continuing
shortage of skilled workers.

■ If you're a prime or subcontractor working on a
federally-funded project, 6.9% of your workforce
in each craft must be female.



Women—

the construction workforce of the future

You may have enough good workers today,
but what about three, five, ten years from now?

■ The worker shortage in the construction industry
creates opportunities for women to enter the field.

■ As more women enter the trades, recruitment of
women will become increasingly easier. However,
successful recruitment of women involves
different outreach strategies than are currently
being utilized.

■ Many women already do physical jobs that
require lifting, coordination, and a serious work
ethic such as hospital work, restaurant work and
child care. Women working in these low-paid
jobs could be ideal recruits for high wage, high
skilled construction careers.

■ Women are the largest untapped resource for the
construction industry. While women can benefit
from entering construction careers, the industry
also benefits by expanding its recruitment pool
to include the other 50% of the population


How you can …

Successful strategies for

recruiting women

■ Pre-apprenticeship grads are great recruits:
Many programs exist (sometimes known as 
“pre-apprenticeship programs”) that introduce
potential construction workers to the tools and to
the different trades. Often these programs offer
“soft” skills training, information about health
and safety, and explain how apprenticeship
works. Graduates of these programs are proven to
be more successful apprentices—better prepared
for the rigors of the trade. Consider recruiting
female graduates of these programs as your
newest apprentices.





■ Use current tradeswomen as role models:
Most people enter the trades because they have 
a relative or neighbor who tells them about the
opportunity. But most of these role models are
men; young women don’t see other women in
these positions to serve as an example for
themselves. If you attend career fairs, bring
female employees who work with the tools to
give demonstrations of their craft and talk about
the work. If you have a website or produce
printed materials, be sure to include images of
tradeswomen. Contact BC3 for Women CAN Build
California recruitment posters and brochures.


■ Basic skills and test preparation: Find a
community partner to help those you recruit
successfully meet your testing and physical
requirements—this may be a pre-apprenticeship
program, community college, or vocational
program. Contact Tradeswomen, Inc. or WINTER
for more ideas


Resources



Contact Tradeswomen, Inc. and WINTER to assist you
with more ideas and resources for recruiting and
retaining women in skilled trades careers.
Tradeswomen, Inc.


www.tradeswomen.org • 510-891-8773 x313
2485 West 14th St. • Oakland CA 94607
Tradeswomen, Inc. has been a support and
advocacy organization for women who work in the
trades since 1979. With workshops, conferences
and policy initiatives, Tradeswomen, Inc. strives
to help women in blue-collar jobs and to increase
and maintain the numbers of women in nontraditional careers.


Women in Non-Traditional Employment Roles
(WINTER)
www.winterbuild.org • 562-570-3764
P.O. Box 90511 • Long Beach, CA 90809
Dedicated to recruiting, training, and placing
women in apprenticeships and non-traditional
jobs, WINTER operates a charter school to help
women complete their high school credentials,
holds monthly orientations about the trades, and
is designated a technical assistance provider by
the Office of Apprenticeship Training, Employer
and Labor Services (OATELS).


Building California Construction Careers (BC3)
www.BuildingC3.com • 916-443-3302
1225 8th Street, Suite 395 • Sacramento, CA 95814


This project of the State Building and Construction
Trades Council is designed to help young people
learn about opportunities in the construction
trades, and see this career as an outstanding
alternative to a four-year degree.  Their website
includes a list of recommended preapprenticeship programs in California.




The original  brochure was made possible by the Women's Bureau, 
U.S. Department of Labor, under WANTO Grant No. E-9-4-2-0123.

Women Construction Owners & Executives (WCOE) Conference Feb 4 - 7 2012

Quick read: Register for the 2012 WCOE conference (Feb 4- 7th) to connect with women entrepreneurs and executives in the construction industry. Retrieved from http://www.wcoeusa.org/

Women Construction Owners & Executives (WCOE) 

2012 Annual Congressional & Leadership Conference

Washington DC, February 4-7, 2012

White House Tour, Seminars,Congressional Breakfast, Workshops and more!

» Register online!
Women succeeding in the male-dominated construction industry have become a quiet triumph of the last decade. Now estimated by the US Census Bureau at over 300,000 strong, women long ago shed the “mom-preneur” image and have built significant companies collectively employing millions of workers. At the same time, WCOE has grown into an organization that is respected on Capitol Hill and often consulted about pending small business or construction-related legislation or regulation.
It is now time to move from the success of breaking down barriers, to becoming a significant player in the construction industry for the entire world to see.

The WCOE Annual Congressional and Leadership Conference begins mid-morning on Saturday, February 4th, with a special White House Tour. The tour aptly sets the stage for 4 days of uniquely valuable and thought-provoking seminars, workshops and keynotes. From noted international economists to a government contracting guru; from a marketing maven to Federal agency contracting officers; and from WCOE lobbyist updates to media and speaker training. But it doesn’t end there! Throw in a champagne reception, a SuperBowl party like none other, a WCOE Mobius Award reception, a Congressional breakfast on Capitol Hill, visits with your legislators and perhaps even testifying at a Congressional hearing. When the Conference ends late Tuesday afternoon, February 7th, you will head back to your offices with renewed energy and an understanding of how to move your company from success to significance.

Even the conference hotel is different this year recognizing that it was time for a change. The new WCOE Conference Hotel is the star-studded icon of restored elegance St. Regis (a Starwood 5-star property) at the corner of “K” Street and 16th – just 2 blocks from the White House and in the center of DC’s Golden Triangle.

Make your plans now to attend. This is one conference you will not want to miss – it guarantees to pay continuing dividends back to you throughout the year. Save yourself money by registering before December 4th to receive the early bird registration rate – and guarantee yourself a discounted hotel room. The St. Regis hotel has enticed WCOE with an unbelievable rate of $225 per night including high-speed internet access.  We have a very limited block of rooms at this reduced rate so be sure to get your reservation in early by calling the hotel at 888.627.8087 and identifying yourself as a WCOE Conference attendee. The room rate cannot be guaranteed after the room block has been filled and under no circumstances will the rate be honored after January 13, 2012.

» Register online!

You may also register by downloading the form below and faxing it to 202.330.5151.
We look forward to seeing you in Washington DC on February 4th. Make your plans to attend now before it is sold out!

Download: 

 Registration form

 Preliminary Agenda

 Conference Sponsorship

This information was retrieved from http://www.wcoeusa.org/

November Organization to Watch: The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women

Quick read: PCSW has done a lot to support tradeswomen over the years including co-sponsoring the celebration of the documentary about the first generation of women to retire after full careers in the trades in CT. 

Have you heard of The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW)?

This organization, based in Connecticut, has been working for over 20 years to promote awareness and action on women's issues by: increasing leadership opportunities for women, leveraging public policy, and assessing practices and programs in Connecticut. 


PCSW has done a lot to support tradeswomen over the years including co-sponsoring the celebration of the documentary about the first generation of women to retire after full careers in the trades in CT. PCSW also supports women in construction trades by being a convener of Women in the Trades (WIT) gatherings.

Awards ceremony recognises women’s contribution to construction industry

Awards ceremony recognises women’s contribution to construction industry

Retrieved from
http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/awards-ceremony-recognises-womens-contribution-to-construction-industry-2011-11-11

Originally posted 11th November 2011

The annual Construction Industry Development Board’s (CIDB’s) National Women in Construction Excellence Awards, presided over by former Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde, was held at the SAX Arena, in Centurion, in August this year.

The ceremony celebrates the achievements of female contractors in the construction industry, and awards are presented to contractors with over 51% women ownership in three different categories.

These awards encourage women to distinguish themselves through performance excellence, and a proven record of performance on projects is a key element of evaluation in selecting award winners. Clients play a significant role in verifying a contestant’s suitability, and are important in developing women contractors by creating opportunities for female participation in contractor development programmes.

Over 120 women-owned companies in nine provinces participated in the awards, with company sizes ranging from CIDB grades one to six.

Film: Raising the Roof- Home Jane

Have you watched this short video about an all-women property maintenance crew of tradeswomen? (http://blip.tv/visionontv/raising-the-roof-part-3-of-8-home-jane-759727)

Raising the Roof - Part 3 of 8 - Home Jane

a film by Anne-Marie Sweeney

This video was produced for JIVE at Oxford's Women Training (OWT)- a JIVE Partner at Oxford & Cherwell Valley College. JIVE is a program that runs mentoring and recruitment for getting women and girls engaged with non-traditional professions. According to Europe's analog of the EEOC, JIVE brings together regional and federal systems that support a diverse workforce such as: training centers, institutions of education, equal opportunity entities, and employers. JIVE has some transnational connections with Germany, France, Finland, and Denmark.

Can't see the link to the video? http://blip.tv/visionontv/raising-the-roof-part-3-of-8-home-jane-759727

Re-post: Aim of expo to attract women into trades

Aim of expo to attract women into trades

Retrieved from http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/186281/aim-expo-attract-women-trades

Home » News » Dunedin

By Matthew Haggart on Sat, 12 Nov 2011

News: Dunedin

Otago Polytechnic carpentry lecturer Jo Hare is part of a move by the tertiary institute to encourage women to more widely consider their career options. Photo supplied.

Forget blokes and their "man caves". A "dream room" promotion to woo women to the engineering trades next year is to be launched by the Otago Polytechnic this month.

The tertiary institute wants to encourage more women to consider pursuing technical careers in the trades, Otago Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker said.

A trades expo is to be held to give women the opportunity to try out a trade, while also giving them a hands-on chance to get involved with practical demonstrations of power tools and equipment.

A competition, which will focus on constructing a dream room - the female equivalent of a man cave or shed - will run alongside the careers promotion.

Polytechnic students will design the exterior structure and the best idea for the interior will then be incorporated into the final project, Mr Ker said.

Dunedin tradeswomen will build the final "dream room" at a demonstration to be held at Queens Gardens on November 23.

The trades offered promising careers for women as well as for men, Mr Ker said.

The polytechnic expo would profile successful tradeswomen and chat with lecturers and programme managers about career and study options, he said.

Ministry of Women's Affairs chief executive Rowena Phair recently launched a new initiative in Canterbury to encourage women into the trades.

There is expected to be an "unprecedented demand" for tradespeople in Christchurch during the next few years, she said.

"Now is the time to open young women's eyes to the range of career opportunities." Otago Polytechnic carpentry lecturer Jo Hare said sometimes young women pursuing trades qualification initially felt daunted by male-dominated classes; something with which she could identify.

"[It] usually passes quite quickly. I was the only woman out of 40 in the carpentry programmes I took at the polytech in 2004.

"It didn't really bother me and I wasn't intimidated ... When more women get involved in the trades I think it will eventually become less of an issue," she said.

---

The gender gap

• The New Zealand labour market is highly segregated - about half of all men and women work in occupations where 70% or more of workers in that industry are the same gender.

• The 2006 census found only 1% of builders, plumbers, electricians and mechanics were women. In 2009, about 13% of engineers were women.

• Gender segregation at work is a "key reason" for the gender pay gap.

Source: Ministry of Women's Affairs

UMass Boston Workforce Outcomes posted- you won't believe the outcomes!

Quick read: The Access and Opportunity goals and outcomes for the multi-million dollar UMass Boston project have been posted!

Have you seen the new website for UMass Boston projects (www.mass.gov/dcam/umb)?

The new site is to encourage community outreach and access for UMass Boston, and that includes providing information and reports about progress towards diversity goals. There is information for current and prospective employees, contractors, and other members of the community.

The Access and Opportunity goals and outcomes for the $700+ million UMass Boston project have been posted! Check them out, then let your voice be heard by coming to an Access and Opportunities Committee meeting or contacting a committee member.

Sneak peek of the latest report

Note: You can view the UMass Boston PLA here.

Attention Boston Residents: Building Pathways Pre-Apprenticeship Program

Quick read: Here is the flyer for the 7-week construction training program that starts in February. Interested Boston residents who meet the requirements must attend an info session to join the program.

Retrieved from an email from a project coordinator of the Building Pathways Career Opportunities

Building Pathways Building Trades Pre-Apprenticeship Program

Dear Friend,

The Building Pathways Pre-Apprenticeship Program is a 7-week construction training program. Participants of Building Pathways will be placed into the construction trade of their choice upon completion of our training program. There are 15 slots available in our second training cycle starting on February 27, 2012. Outreach has begun for Cycle 2. I have attached outreach flyers to this email. The dates on these flyers are most likely the last available dates for outreach sessions.

Applicants must attend an information session to begin the process of being selected for the program. Applications will be given to those who are interested in the Building Pathways Program after the information session (info session takes about an hour). People are paid $1500.00 for their participation in the 7-week training program and placed into an apprenticeship upon completion of the program (Carpentry, Electrical, Plumbing, etc.). This is a great opportunity for Boston residents.

...

I sincerely think this is a good opportunity for Boston residents that meet the requirements on the flyer. Please call or email me with questions.

Thank you. I appreciate your help.

Sincerely,
Brian Doherty, Project Coordinator

Building Pathways Building Trades Pre-Apprenticeship Program

Phone: 617-282-2242

Union aims to smooth trades work for women

http://www.windsorstar.com/business/Union+aims+smooth+trades+work+women/5667498/story.html

BY BILL MAH, POSTMEDIA NEWS NOVEMBER 7, 2011 

• STORY
• PHOTOS ( 1 )

"Women's issues are not necessarily the same as male issues on a job site and in non-traditional occupations," says Martyn Piper, executive secretary of the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers.

Photograph by: Bruce Edwards, Postmedia News, Postmedia News

Some of the challenges faced by women working in the trades might never occur to a man.

"Harnesses," said Margaret McDonald, a scaffolder from Fort McMurray.

"The harnesses for when we climb high steel. Trying to make sure a company has the right size to fit women. It's little things like that."

McDonald said most employers are usually "pretty good" about having their safety officers supply harnesses fitted for women. "It might take a while before you get it."

But not all issues faced by women in the trades are as easily fixed.

More than 100 people, mostly women working in non-traditional jobs, took part in a recent conference looking at how job sites meet the unique needs of women.

The Women's Conference hosted by the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers, a union representing 11,500 Albertans - including about 480 women. The event for networking and education came six months after the union created a women's committee to help female members play a bigger role in an industry dominated by men.

"Women's issues are not necessarily the same as male issues on a job site and in non-traditional occupations," said Martyn Piper, the union's executive secretary.

Journeyman scaffolder Brandi Thorne, chair of the women's committee, originally studied at university to become a statistician, but an opportunity came up to work in the same field as her husband.

"Some of the differences are that we tend to live with a higher demand for family and child care, elder care, and we have different physical needs," Thorne said of men and women.

The conference offered workshops on issues such as parenting and pregnancy, fitness and nutrition, respect in the workplace and effective communication, and as well as talks from government, labour and industry representatives.

"The weekend is also about finding the voices of women and what are the barriers that exist out there and what would the solutions be to break down those barriers and get more women - and keep more women in construction," Thorne said.

Alberta in particular and industry in general have been trying to coax more women and more aboriginals to enter the trades as a worker shortage looms.

In 2010, 17,400 Albertans retired, 2,300 more than in 2009, and about 190,000 are expected to retire in the next 10 years. The province says Alberta will face a shortage of at least 77,000 workers in the next decade.

© Copyright (c) The Windsor Star

Read more:http://www.windsorstar.com/life/Union+aims+smooth+trades+work+women/5667498/story.html#ixzz1d2YqCZ3r