Friday, June 28, 2013
Repost: Gov. Christie unveils college scholarships for women and minorities in construction fields
By Jenna Portnoy and Kelly Heyboer/The Star-Ledger
MOUNT LAUREL — Women and minorities who want to work in construction-related fields will be eligible for $2,000 in tuition assistance at New Jersey’s county colleges under a new scholarship program launched today.
Gov. Chris Christie unveiled the Governor’s Industry Vocations Scholarship for Women and Minorities program at an event on the campus green at Burlington County Community College in Mount Laurel. The scholarships — known as NJ-GIVS — will allow students to enroll in non-degree certificate programs at the state’s 19 county colleges.
"Opportunities for good-paying jobs all begin with access to high quality education and training, whether it’s colleges and universities, vocational or technical schools or other kinds of specialized training that prepares students for a successful future," Christie said.
The scholarships represent the first time state financial aid is being offered to New Jersey students in certificate programs that do not lead to a degree. Women and minorities are being targeted for the money because they are historically underrepresented in the construction industry, state officials said.
NJ-GIVS will be funded with money the New Jersey’s Schools Development Authority must set aside from all of its school district construction contracts.
Marc Larkins, head of the Schools Development Authority, said the new scholarships will help bring more women and minorities into construction trades.
"At times we track less than 1 percent female participation in our construction projects," Larkins said.
The scholarships will be administered by the state’s Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, which oversees New Jersey’s financial aid programs. There will be $500,000 in NJ-GIV funds available annually, state officials said. Eligible students will be awarded scholarships on a first-come, first-served basis. The scholarships can be renewed for a second year.
MOUNT LAUREL — Women and minorities who want to work in construction-related fields will be eligible for $2,000 in tuition assistance at New Jersey’s county colleges under a new scholarship program launched today.
Gov. Chris Christie unveiled the Governor’s Industry Vocations Scholarship for Women and Minorities program at an event on the campus green at Burlington County Community College in Mount Laurel. The scholarships — known as NJ-GIVS — will allow students to enroll in non-degree certificate programs at the state’s 19 county colleges.
"Opportunities for good-paying jobs all begin with access to high quality education and training, whether it’s colleges and universities, vocational or technical schools or other kinds of specialized training that prepares students for a successful future," Christie said.
The scholarships represent the first time state financial aid is being offered to New Jersey students in certificate programs that do not lead to a degree. Women and minorities are being targeted for the money because they are historically underrepresented in the construction industry, state officials said.
NJ-GIVS will be funded with money the New Jersey’s Schools Development Authority must set aside from all of its school district construction contracts.
Marc Larkins, head of the Schools Development Authority, said the new scholarships will help bring more women and minorities into construction trades.
"At times we track less than 1 percent female participation in our construction projects," Larkins said.
The scholarships will be administered by the state’s Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, which oversees New Jersey’s financial aid programs. There will be $500,000 in NJ-GIV funds available annually, state officials said. Eligible students will be awarded scholarships on a first-come, first-served basis. The scholarships can be renewed for a second year.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Repost: Miss Utah’s Question is Worth Answering
by PATRICIA SHIU on JUNE 20, 2013
Marissa Powell’s comments on the pay gap at the June 16 Miss USA competition have gotten a lot of attention in the news – but for all the wrong reasons.
Gossip sites and even respectable media sources have homed in on her grammatically shaky response, but let’s not duck the question; it is well worth answering again and again.
As judge NeNe Leakes acknowledged and as I’ve noted myself many times in this blog, there is a persistent wage gap in this country, despite the fact that women play an increasingly crucial economic role in America’s families. Leakes asked what the pay gap says about society, and I think it’s an important question. The fact that the pay gap has decreased over the past 50 years shows that our society is open to change – but the fact that it exists at all shows that change is slow and requires constant support.
Workers can take some responsibility by educating themselves about typical pay scales within their industries and the laws that apply to pay equality, particularly Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act, which was passed 50 years ago this month.
They should also know the federal agencies that are available to assist with education and enforcement, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as well as the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which I lead, and its Women’s Bureau. We are constantly updating the department’s equal pay website to ensure that women have the tools and resources they need to level the playing field.
While Ms. Powell’s shaky response reflected the stress of responding to an unexpected question in a public forum, her clarification the next day got right to the heart of the issue: “This is not OK. It needs to be equal pay for equal work; and it’s hard enough already to earn a living, and it shouldn’t be harder just because you’re a woman.”
With her response Sunday night, Ms. Powell inadvertently drew more attention to this important question than she could have with a straight answer. That’s one small flub for a woman, one giant meme for womankind. And it’s a conversation we can all benefit from. After all, the pay gap costs individual women thousands of dollars in lost pay every year – and hundreds of thousands across their working lifetimes.
Closing the pay gap has deeply personal repercussions for women around the nation, but it has even greater resonance for society at large. Equality has long been one of cornerstones of our national culture, and its benefits are widespread.
As the president said on the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, closing the pay gap is “part of a broader agenda to create good jobs and to strengthen middle-class security, to keep rebuilding an economy that works for everybody, that gives every American the chance to get ahead, no matter who you are or what you look like, or what your last name is and who you love.”
Patricia Shiu is the director of the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.
Marissa Powell’s comments on the pay gap at the June 16 Miss USA competition have gotten a lot of attention in the news – but for all the wrong reasons.
Gossip sites and even respectable media sources have homed in on her grammatically shaky response, but let’s not duck the question; it is well worth answering again and again.
As judge NeNe Leakes acknowledged and as I’ve noted myself many times in this blog, there is a persistent wage gap in this country, despite the fact that women play an increasingly crucial economic role in America’s families. Leakes asked what the pay gap says about society, and I think it’s an important question. The fact that the pay gap has decreased over the past 50 years shows that our society is open to change – but the fact that it exists at all shows that change is slow and requires constant support.
Workers can take some responsibility by educating themselves about typical pay scales within their industries and the laws that apply to pay equality, particularly Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act, which was passed 50 years ago this month.
They should also know the federal agencies that are available to assist with education and enforcement, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as well as the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, which I lead, and its Women’s Bureau. We are constantly updating the department’s equal pay website to ensure that women have the tools and resources they need to level the playing field.
While Ms. Powell’s shaky response reflected the stress of responding to an unexpected question in a public forum, her clarification the next day got right to the heart of the issue: “This is not OK. It needs to be equal pay for equal work; and it’s hard enough already to earn a living, and it shouldn’t be harder just because you’re a woman.”
With her response Sunday night, Ms. Powell inadvertently drew more attention to this important question than she could have with a straight answer. That’s one small flub for a woman, one giant meme for womankind. And it’s a conversation we can all benefit from. After all, the pay gap costs individual women thousands of dollars in lost pay every year – and hundreds of thousands across their working lifetimes.
Closing the pay gap has deeply personal repercussions for women around the nation, but it has even greater resonance for society at large. Equality has long been one of cornerstones of our national culture, and its benefits are widespread.
As the president said on the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, closing the pay gap is “part of a broader agenda to create good jobs and to strengthen middle-class security, to keep rebuilding an economy that works for everybody, that gives every American the chance to get ahead, no matter who you are or what you look like, or what your last name is and who you love.”
Patricia Shiu is the director of the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.
View the original article at http://social.dol.gov/blog.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Job Opportunity: Pre-Apprenticeship Training Project Director, UMass Amherst
POSITION OPENING: Pre-Apprenticeship Training Project Director
Overview:
The Labor/Management Workplace Education Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is seeking a creative and experienced professional to launch and manage an innovative pre-apprenticeship training program, CommunityWorks, targeted to marginalized and underserved communities in Springfield and Holyoke. CommunityWorks is a broad coalition of employer, labor, education, workforce, and community-based organizations. The Project Director position is grant-funded, at least 50% time with benefits. Continuation beyond August 2015 is contingent upon funding.
Overview:
The Labor/Management Workplace Education Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is seeking a creative and experienced professional to launch and manage an innovative pre-apprenticeship training program, CommunityWorks, targeted to marginalized and underserved communities in Springfield and Holyoke. CommunityWorks is a broad coalition of employer, labor, education, workforce, and community-based organizations. The Project Director position is grant-funded, at least 50% time with benefits. Continuation beyond August 2015 is contingent upon funding.
Duties:
The Pre-Apprenticeship Project Director will oversee and coordinate the program as a whole, working collaboratively with multiple partners, sub-contractors, program staff, project sites, employers, unions, joint apprenticeship programs, community-based cultural associations, and the funding agency to insure smooth, effective functioning of the program.
The Project Director will be engaged in and provide oversight of the following activities: partnership development, participant outreach, participant recruitment, provision of training services, career coaching, budget tracking, data management, and project evaluation. To these ends, the Project Director will oversee a project staff, the size of which may fluctuate with multiple funding awards. The Project Director will report and work closely with the project Principal Investigator and will be the key liaison to the project funder, making sure that all narrative reports are completed in a timely manner. The Project Director will also meet regularly with, provide reports to, and solicit feedback from the project’s steering committee.
Minimum Qualifications:
To Apply:
The Pre-Apprenticeship Project Director will oversee and coordinate the program as a whole, working collaboratively with multiple partners, sub-contractors, program staff, project sites, employers, unions, joint apprenticeship programs, community-based cultural associations, and the funding agency to insure smooth, effective functioning of the program.
The Project Director will be engaged in and provide oversight of the following activities: partnership development, participant outreach, participant recruitment, provision of training services, career coaching, budget tracking, data management, and project evaluation. To these ends, the Project Director will oversee a project staff, the size of which may fluctuate with multiple funding awards. The Project Director will report and work closely with the project Principal Investigator and will be the key liaison to the project funder, making sure that all narrative reports are completed in a timely manner. The Project Director will also meet regularly with, provide reports to, and solicit feedback from the project’s steering committee.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree (in education, management, labor studies, or related field) and more than three years professional experience in education, management, labor studies, or adult education is required.
- Demonstrated knowledge of worker education, curriculum development, program planning, evaluation methods and participatory learning theory required. Excellent writing, partnership, and communication skills required.
- Work experience in the construction trades preferred.
- Teaching experience with the construction trades preferred.
- Advanced knowledge of budget monitoring, evaluation systems, and grants administration preferred
To Apply:
Send résumé and cover letter indicating desired position by June 20, 2013 to R43305, Employment Office, 167 Whitmore Administration Building, UMass, Amherst, MA 01003.
Normal FTE salary range is $40,100-$50,300, normal FTE starting salary range is $40,100-$45,200. Excellent benefits. The University of Massachusetts is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and members of minority groups are encouraged to apply.
Normal FTE salary range is $40,100-$50,300, normal FTE starting salary range is $40,100-$45,200. Excellent benefits. The University of Massachusetts is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and members of minority groups are encouraged to apply.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Repost: Local hiring success continues under landmark SF jobs ordinance
Great article on the success of San Francisco's local hire ordinance!
-------------------------------------------------------
Under a failed “good faith efforts” approach to connecting San Francisco residents with good-paying construction jobs, local workers made up an average of only 20 percent of hours on city-funded public works projects.
In the two years since the landmark mandatory local hiring law adopted by policy makers in December 2010 has been in effect, however, participation by San Francisco’s community workforce has jumped to just over 33 percent of job hours on covered projects, providing a much-needed boost for local workers as construction employment continues to recover from a record low. Increased local hiring meant an additional $5-$10 million in the hands of San Francisco’s working families that in turn support local businesses and strengthen the local economy.
According to a report issued by the City’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the San Francisco Local Hiring Policy for Construction covered 945,668 hours of public works construction, with 316,628 hours performed by San Francisco residents, for an average of 33.4 percent local hiring. Community apprentices performed 60 percent of total apprentice hours, signifying joint efforts between union apprenticeship programs, San Francisco’s CityBuild Academy, community-based organizations and contractors to build a strong local pipeline of skilled workers ready to embark on a career in construction.
These numbers far exceed the policy’s requirement that at least 20 percent of job hours within each trade on projects awarded in 2011, and 25 percent of job hours on projects awarded in 2012, must be performed by San Francisco residents, particularly workers in economically disadvantaged communities. At least 50 percent of apprentice hours within each craft must be local.
The local hiring ordinance also resulted in increased race and gender diversity on covered projects, as the report demonstrates that African American, Asian or Pacific Islander, and female workers are virtually absent among the non-local workforce on covered projects over the past two years.
With nearly 1 million hours under its belt, city’s local hiring law continues to promote powerful community-labor partnership
Under a failed “good faith efforts” approach to connecting San Francisco residents with good-paying construction jobs, local workers made up an average of only 20 percent of hours on city-funded public works projects.
In the two years since the landmark mandatory local hiring law adopted by policy makers in December 2010 has been in effect, however, participation by San Francisco’s community workforce has jumped to just over 33 percent of job hours on covered projects, providing a much-needed boost for local workers as construction employment continues to recover from a record low. Increased local hiring meant an additional $5-$10 million in the hands of San Francisco’s working families that in turn support local businesses and strengthen the local economy.
According to a report issued by the City’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the San Francisco Local Hiring Policy for Construction covered 945,668 hours of public works construction, with 316,628 hours performed by San Francisco residents, for an average of 33.4 percent local hiring. Community apprentices performed 60 percent of total apprentice hours, signifying joint efforts between union apprenticeship programs, San Francisco’s CityBuild Academy, community-based organizations and contractors to build a strong local pipeline of skilled workers ready to embark on a career in construction.
These numbers far exceed the policy’s requirement that at least 20 percent of job hours within each trade on projects awarded in 2011, and 25 percent of job hours on projects awarded in 2012, must be performed by San Francisco residents, particularly workers in economically disadvantaged communities. At least 50 percent of apprentice hours within each craft must be local.
The local hiring ordinance also resulted in increased race and gender diversity on covered projects, as the report demonstrates that African American, Asian or Pacific Islander, and female workers are virtually absent among the non-local workforce on covered projects over the past two years.
Read the full article at http://sfbayview.com.
Read the jobs ordinance at http://blogs.law.stanford.edu.
Learn more about San Francisco's workforce development plan at http://www.workforcedevelopmentsf.org/.
Learn about CityBuild Academy, which runs to training programs to prepare San Francisco residents for career opportunities in the construction industry, at http://www.workforcedevelopmentsf.org/trainingprograms.
Read the jobs ordinance at http://blogs.law.stanford.edu.
Learn more about San Francisco's workforce development plan at http://www.workforcedevelopmentsf.org/.
Learn about CityBuild Academy, which runs to training programs to prepare San Francisco residents for career opportunities in the construction industry, at http://www.workforcedevelopmentsf.org/trainingprograms.
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