Repost: Texas State Technical College recognized for successful retention program for women in Architectural Design & Engineering Graphics Program

Urrea, Yanez recognized for developing recruiting plan

Posted: Friday, January 24, 2014 8:06 pm
By Eladio Jaimez TSTC Staff

Edda Urrea, director of Support Services at Texas State Technical College, and Hector Yanez, director of the Engineering Division, have been recognized by the National Institute for Women in Trades, Technology and Science. They were singled out for developing a retention plan aimed at recruiting and keeping female students in TSTC’s Architectural Design and Engineering Graphics (ADEG) Program, a traditionally male-dominated career track.

The Women in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM, Retention Plan was designed as part of the 2013 National Science Foundation-funded WomenTech Educators Training, hosted by the GeoTech Center. It was chosen as one of the top three plans for the training.

As part of the retention plan, students are paired in classroom projects and female tutors are sought to staff computer labs.

“The focus was on increasing and retaining the number of females in the (ADEG) program,” said Urrea, also the Title IX Coordinator.

“One of the components we’re plugging in is incorporating a humanitarian concept.”

Yanez said doing more community projects was part of the plan to recruit and keep female students.

“We started doing more projects involving small municipalities and non-profit organizations,” Yanez said.

The retention plan will also be featured in other private online-learning communities connected with WomenTech Educators Trainings, where other educators can imitate or develop similar plans.

In the past two years, the ADEG program has seen a considerable increase in female students. In 2011, the program was made up of 11 percent female students. In 2013, that number was at 32 percent.

Both credited Equity Advocate Counselor Anna Cortez for having input in the retention plan and the increase in students in non-traditional programs.

Urrea and Yanez’s retention plan can also be used for other college programs.

“We’ve seen a big push and increased numbers in those non-traditional programs in the past couple of years,” Yanez said.

Urrea and Yanez’s successful retention plan will be featured on the training’s private online-learning community.

Visit http://www.valleymorningstar.com to view the original article.

Canada invests more $ to get more women into construction

Over $200K in funding to get women working announced: Hamilton's YWCA receives funding for project to get more women in construction, manufacturing

By Sola DaSilva, CBC News
Posted: Jan 24, 2014 2:30 PM ET

Last Updated: Jan 24, 2014 2:37 PM ET

The Hamilton YWCA says women are underrepresented in traditionally male-dominated careers like construction and manufacturing — but now it has a hefty government cheque to try and change that.

On Friday, parliamentary secretary for Status of Women Canada Susan Truppe announced the YWCA will receive just over $240,000 for a three-year project that will advance recruitment and retention of women in those industries.

This type of project is even more significant because of the imminent skill shortages facing Canada, says Truppe.

Susan Truppe, parliamentary secretary for Status of Women Canada,
announces funding support for Hamilton YWCA project
to advance the recruitment and retention of women in construction
and manufacturing industries. (Sola DaSilva)

“There is going to be a skill shortage and we think that women have a great opportunity to able to fill those roles and they are certainly talented and skilled enough,” Truppe said. “This is important because of Hamilton being a bit of an industrial city … so Hamilton is an ideal place to do this project. These jobs are out there and are very well-paying and that’s why we want to see more women — so there are better opportunities for women to prosper.”

The funding will go towards outreach, planning and strategies to help women in Hamilton join the trades, says Denise Doyle, the chief executive officer of Hamilton YWCA.

“We already know that we have to look to women, Aboriginals and new immigrants when we think about where our workers are going to come from in the next ten to 15 years. Employers today are investing in strategies in order to be more effective in those recruiting processes,” Doyle said. “We hope that our work over the next three years is going to not only engage with women who want to enter those trades but also engage with the employers and help them bring women into their organizations.”

According to a report released by the Conference Board of Canada in Oct. 2013, many Hamilton employers report skill shortages. A survey of 1,538 Ontario employers (about 4 per cent of which were from Hamilton) showed the highest shortages were in the engineering and infrastructure fields, followed by the energy and utilities industries and the manufacturing and automotive industries.

Recruiting women to these occupations, many of which are high paying, will provide an opportunity for women to leave low paying or minimum wage jobs for unionized employment.

“The one thing that I can assure you of is that this program is going to be run by strong women leaders and the men involved will encourage the young women who are coming up to negotiate more than a living wage and an equal wage,” Doyle said.

To view the full article, visit http://www.cbc.ca/.

Repost: Women in Trades training a success, Liberals say

Thursday, January 23, 2014 - 5:54 PM
By Jonathon Brown
Prince George, B.C.

The Women in Trades Training Program is growing the number of women turning to that part of the workforce in B-C.

Shirley Bond, Jobs Minister and MLA for Prince George - Valemount says the program is important tool of encouraging women to consider a career in trades, which she says can often be a difficult choice.

"Since 2008 / 2009 when the current labour market agreement was signed, and the end of this fiscal year, we've seen about 2,500 women who have been served by the women in Trades Training Program," Bond says.

Bond calls those numbers a success, and critical for discussions with the federal government when it comes to funding.

She says a $4 million dollar injection into the Canada - BC labour market agreement has led to an increase in women registered as apprentices."About 10.5% of all registered apprentices are now women, and that's from 8.5% in 2009."

With the labour market agreement up for renewal, Bond says the Women in Trades Program is exactly the kind of program she wants to see protected.

Visit http://hqprincegeorge.com to view the original article.

Upcoming Event: Speaking with One Voice - Civil Rights Virtual Symposium

U.S. Department of Transportation Departmental Office of Civil Rights

Speaking with One Voice

Civil Rights Virtual Symposium 

for all DOT Employees and Stakeholders 

February 4-6, 2014 

Registration now open

at http://www.civilrights.dot.gov 

Broadening Perspectives 

Fifty years after the passing of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, and twenty years after Executive Order 12898, directing Federal agencies to address Environmental Justice in Minority and Low-Income Populations, civil rights continue to be a responsibility of every Federal employee and external stakeholder. Experts from across government will be speaking on current, forward-moving topics, broadening participants' perspectives on how civil rights are integral to the DOT mission and the everyday workplace

View or download the event flyer for more information

Repost: Women aged 40 'happiest at work'

New study from the UK shows happiest workers are 40-year old women, and construction is listed as the first of the industries "with the highest proportion of fulfilled workers."

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WORKERS who are most happy in their professional life are likely to be well-educated women aged 40, working in a secure industry offering a good work/life balance, according to a new British study.

A survey of 2000 employees by recruiter Randstad found that ambitious women were getting the most from work.

The firm drew up the profile of a "very fulfilled" worker, saying it was likely to be a 40-year-old, well educated woman, earning STG31,600 ($A58,340) a year, having a positive personality, with a sense of vocation in their career.

Industries with the highest proportion of fulfilled workers included construction, farming, teaching, social work, hospitality and health, while below average scores were found in manufacturing, the public sector and financial services.

"As the debate about equal opportunities at work continues, it's inspiring to see that women are on top in terms of fulfilment," said Mark Bull, chief executive of Randstad.

"Clearly, not everyone in the UK can be a well-educated, 40-year-old woman, but you don't have to fit the typical profile of a very fulfilled worker in order to reach your full potential and feel more fulfilled in your career.

"Sadly, you may not find many 40-year-old women working within the construction sector. However, construction staff do tend to work in a vocational environment and often derive a real sense of satisfaction from seeing a project develop from the ground up which is why they have such a high proportion of very fulfilled staff within the workforce.

"Similarly, staff within education, social work and healthcare will also have a strong sense of vocation and derive satisfaction from helping others and all of these characteristics fit the typical profile of a very fulfilled worker."

To view the original article, visit http://www.heraldsun.com.au.

Repost: Meet Janette Wipper, OFCCP's New Pacific Regional Director

Dear Colleagues,

Today, I am pleased to welcome Janette Wipper to OFCCP as our new Regional Director for the Pacific.

Janette (starts out like “just” not “January”) comes to OFCCP from Sanford Heisler, a national civil rights law firm. During her seven-year tenure there, she litigated complex class action lawsuits on behalf of workers facing discrimination, misclassification and wage theft. In 2010 she was tapped to serve as Managing Partner, overseeing the establishment and expansion of Sanford Heisler’s San Francisco office.

At the firm, Janette served as lead advisor and consultant on the use of statistical evidence and experts in numerous class action cases. Among her many significant victories is the landmark Novartis lawsuit in which the pharmaceutical giant had to pay $250 million for discriminating against 5,600 female sales representatives in pay, promotion and because of pregnancy. That is the largest jury award for workers in a class action sex discrimination case ever. And Janette played a crucial role in the victory by uncovering flaws in the analysis used by a key expert for the defense. For her efforts on the Novartis case, she was named one of Law360’s rising stars in March of 2013.

Prior to joining Sanford, Janette practiced civil rights impact litigation at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the NAACP and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. Throughout her career, she has been a champion for social and environmental justice on behalf of low-wage workers, women and communities of color. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Janette received a B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. from Vermont Law School. In between acquiring these two degrees, she worked as field coordinator in Ecuador, advocating on behalf of indigenous communities affected by oil contamination in the Amazon. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and five-year-old daughter.

As the head of OFCCP’s Pacific operations, Janette will oversee more than 100 staff working 12 offices and responsible for enforcement across 11 states and territories. The Pacific is one of the largest and most diverse regions in our agency, and, over the past year, staff in the region were responsible for negotiating more than $2.2 million in back wages and 933 job offers on behalf of 3,685 workers affected by discrimination – the largest remedies in the nation.

I am thrilled to welcome Janette to OFCCP and am confident that she will be a terrific addition to our team! I know you will agree.

Pat

Repost: First step towards attracting more women into construction

Published for Sanctuary Housing Association
Wednesday, January, 15, 2014

Keen to play its part in attracting more females to work in the construction industry, Sanctuary Group invited its contractors to a meeting at it offices in London to learn more about the Women into Construction Project.

The Women into Construction Project is a CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) Construction Skills scheme run by the organisation Be Onsite following a successful initiative by the Olympic Delivery Authority at Olympic Park in Stratford. The project aims to create a more balanced work force by removing barriers that might deter women from entering the construction industry.

Committed to attracting more women to work at its developments across London, Sanctuary Group hosted a meeting with Women Into Construction at its offices in Wood Green, where the Group’s development team and some of its contractors (including Ardmore Construction, Bennett Construction Ltd & Bugler Development) learnt more about the initiative.

They heard about the range of options available to women through the scheme, such as work placements on site, apprenticeships, access to further training and careers advice, and the funding available for childcare costs etc to help facilitate women taking up these opportunities.

Janet Mussington, Sanctuary’s head of development for London, said: “There are relatively few women working in the construction industry and Sanctuary is keen to play a part in redressing this imbalance. The presentation from the Women into Construction team was very informative and we are delighted that three of our contractors have already given a commitment to offering work experience placements through the Project.”

She confirmed that Sanctuary Group has female apprentices working in its maintenance team (Sanctuary Maintenance) and via some of its contractors – such as 20-year old Chantelle Wrightson who is doing a carpentry and joinery apprenticeship with Keepmoat at Sanctuary’s extra care development in the north-east.

She added: “We are determined to see many more female apprentices taken on by Sanctuary and our contractors, and more training and employment opportunities created with women in mind to ensure more females can progress a career in the construction industry in the future.”

Visit www.beonsite.org.uk/women-construction-project for more information on the Women into Construction Project.

Visit http://www.24dash.com/ to view the original article.

Job Opportunity: Plumber - San Bernardino, CA

PLUMBER

County of San Bernardino

San Bernardino, CA

Up to $55,869/yr

The County of San Bernardino has an excellent opportunity for an experienced Plumber to fill an immediate vacancy at our state-of-the-art hospital, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Future vacancies may also occur to handle the maintenance for a variety of buildings throughout the County. Plumbers with at least four years of hospital, institutional, commercial, and/or industrial experience are strongly urged to apply.

To learn more about this excellent opportunity, please review the Plumber announcement at www.sbcounty.gov/hr and apply today. (909) 387-8304 - EEO/ADA

Repost: Local women business owners benefit from state initiative

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo made it a priority last year to connect women and minority-owned businesses with state contracts. He announced in October that the Department of Economic Development had awarded a record 21.06 percent in state contracts to such firms, exceeding its goal of 20 percent.

Mark DiOrio / Observer-Dispatch
Lynne Angelicola of R.O.I. Office Interiors received her Women Business Enterprise Certification in August, giving her the opportunity to bid on office interior contract that are funded by the state. Angelicola looks at a sample board of office materials for the Utica College Harza Building Site, Jan 6, 2014 in Rome, N.Y.

by Philip A. Vanno
Posted Jan. 14, 2014

Over the past 20 years, Lynne Angelicola, president of Roberts Office Interiors, has had to juggle running her Rome-based commercial office furniture dealership and interior design operation while taking care of her home and raising two children.

While she's had plenty of help from her husband, Robert, who runs the company's sales department, perhaps her biggest aid came in August when, after a lengthy application process, her business became certified as a Women Business Enterprise by the New York State Department of Economic Development.

"We were very excited when it was finally approved," Angelicola said. "This provides us with many new opportunities that we wouldn't have had before, and we have already started to see the effects."

Since receiving the distinction, which was instituted by the state to eliminate barriers and discrimination and expand the participation of women-owned businesses in the state contracting process, Roberts Office Interiors has landed a $400,000 contract to outfit a new building at SUNY Binghamton, and has a handful of other projects in the works with other SUNY schools.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo made it a priority last year to connect women and minority-owned businesses with state contracts. He announced in October that the Department of Economic Development had awarded a record 21.06 percent in state contracts to such firms, exceeding its goal of 20 percent.

In all, $1.48 billion in contracts from 97 public agencies and authorities were awarded to women and minority-owned business enterprises in fiscal year 2012-1013.

"The diversity in this state is one of our greatest assets … and we remain committed to leveling the playing field for thousands of small businesses and opening the door to greater economic activity and job growth," Cuomo said in a news release. "The success of thousands of minority- and women-owned firms seeking to compete and advance in the marketplace is critical to igniting economic growth and spurring prosperity in all of our communities statewide."

Another beneficiary of the program is Jennifer Keida, who started JRT Construction Services in Marcy three years ago in an attempt to capitalize off of the experience and contacts she accumulated during her 13 years as chief operations officer for her father's business, Standard Insulating Co.

While she still maintains her role with that company, Keida said she is very eager to expand her horizons with her new venture, especially since receiving her certification as a Women Business Enterprise last month.

"Being a woman in the construction field, I have worked just as hard as anyone, but this gives me an opportunity to showcase my talents that might have otherwise been overlooked," Keida said. "The doors this is going to open should make 2014 a good year."

Follow @OD_Vanno on Twitter or call him at 792-5074.

View the original article at http://www.uticaod.com/article/20140114/NEWS/140109694#ixzz2qU6GN0fe.

Repost: Illinois program recruits more women, minorities for construction work

By Judy Masterson

jmasterson@stmedianetwork.com

January 11, 2014

Wesley Simpson of Waukegan is serious about getting a good job, which is why he recently underwent a rugged 11-week training program for road construction.

“Getting this opportunity means a lot,” said Simpson, 33, who last earned $10 an hour as a forklift driver, a job in Aurora, more than 60 miles from home.

Road construction, though seasonal, pays well and offers good benefits. Simpson could earn between $15 and $20 an hour to start. If he lands an apprenticeship, his hourly wage would climb to $37.

“I need the money,” Simpson said. “I have a 6-year-old son to support.”

Simpson graduated in December from T.C.A.R.T., the Transportation Construction Apprenticeship Readiness Training, Referral and Intermodal Placement Program. It’s a long name for a clear-cut goal: recruiting minorities and women for government-funded road construction.

“The bottom line is right now in the state of Illinois approximately 92 percent of highway construction workers are white males,” said Rev. Arthur Gass, president of the Black Chamber of Commerce of Lake County. “Those numbers have to change if we’re going to be in compliance with state and federal mandates.”

The Black Chamber is one of four community-based organizations − the other three are in Chicago − that are working in partnership with the Illinois Department of Transportation to recruit and train people for the program, which consists of three-weeks of classes in construction math and comportment and eight weeks of hands-on-construction training in south suburban Wilmington.

Just 125 T.C.A.R.T. spots are available for residents of Lake and McHenry counties; 532 applications were accepted.

Trainees are 85 percent African American, 12 percent Hispanic and 3 percent white, according to Gass, who said federal contracts require 16.9 percent minority and 6.9 percent female participation.

“The workforce ought to reflect the diversity of the community,” Gass said. “Highway construction jobs are supported by the motor fuel tax, 14 percent of which is paid by African Americans and yet we pick up less than 2 percent of those jobs. That’s pretty lopsided.”

Petite Coleman, 30, of Beach Park, last earned $12.31 an hour as a certified computer tech at a warehouse store in Vernon Hills. Her talent and liking for hands-on work came through during the technical training portion of T.C.A.R.T.

“Pouring and laying concrete was my favorite,” Coleman said. “The instructor had me doing multiple things and, by doing so many things, I was involved in the process from beginning to end.”

In road construction, Coleman said, she can work the same amount of hours but double her income. She wants to join a union. Her goal is to become a welding inspector, a job that requires a thorough knowledge of many trades.

“I’m a hard worker,” Coleman said. “I believe that you go to work to do your job. I don’t mind working long hours. I just want to be compensated.”

The Black Chamber will also work to help trainees find jobs for the springtime road construction season.

“We will reach out to any and all contractors, be they union or non-union, and make them aware that our people have the training, that they have the skill sets required and that they will make exemplary employees,” Gass said.

T.C.A.R.T. in Lake County has a 97 percent success rate so far, Gass said. The program has a zero tolerance policy for tardiness or absence. Trainees also have to figure out transportation to Wilmington, 95 miles south of Waukegan. Some have formed car pools. Some commute to Chicago to catch a bus from the Urban League office there.

“These are people determined to work and acquire the skills they need,” Gass said.

T.C.A.R.T., Gass said, “eliminates the excuse that contractors often use: that they can’t find qualified people.”

“They now have a pool of highly qualified people who have proven themselves,” Gass said.

For more information on the highway construction training program T.C.A.R.T., call the Black Chamber of Commerce of Lake County at (847) 599-9510 or the Chicago Urban League at (773) 285-5800.

Visit http://newssun.suntimes.com/ to view the original article.

Repost: Introducing women and girls to trades and technical professions

By Miranda Burski, L-P Specialty Products
December 28, 2013

Trade and technical professions have, traditionally, been male-dominated fields. But that tradition is changing, thanks in part to work done by the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST).

For the past several years, SIAST has partnered with Saskatchewan Women in Trades and Technology (SaskWITT) to introduce women and girls to various careers in the trades and technology fields. "We see that there is not gender equality in some programs, so we consider them to be male-dominated," says Anna Kwasnica, the provincial facilitator for SIAST's WITT programs. "Women don't face the same types of barriers that they might have 10, 15, 20 years ago in some of those areas, so now we're just looking at trying to get those numbers to increase."

As part of their partnership with SaskWITT, SIAST offers two main programs: one for girls in Grades 6, 7 and 8, and one for women in high school and above.

Girls Exploring Trades and Technology (GETT) camps take place each July at every SIAST campus across the province. The week-long day camps bring girls in Grades 6, 7 and 8 into contact with women who work in a variety of trades or technology fields. The camps also give girls the opportunity to work in pairs or teams on a number of projects, ending the week with the construction of a go-cart. SIAST has committed to running two GETT camps in 2014, the second of which will focus more on technical subjects such as sustainable energy and civil engineering.

The Women in Trades Exploratory course, meanwhile, gives women in high school and above the opportunity to experience a day in each of SIAST's trade shops. The hands-on course gives participants a better understanding of what training options are available, as well as an understanding of what is physically, emotionally and academically required to take part in one of SIAST's full training programs. The course is offered twice a year at the Regina and Saskatoon campuses, and registration is currently open for the courses taking place in January and February.

While the GETT camps are designed to introduce young girls to trades and technology in general, the Women in Trades Exploratory course is aimed more at women looking to explore their career options. "They get to actually use the tools in those shops and see if it's something that might be of interest to them," says Kwasnica. "We see a lot of people coming in that have maybe been nurses for 15 years that want to get out of that and want to do something with their hands because they're maybe looking for a change in life. And we see a lot of people coming out of high school that ... [say] 'I tried some of this in high school, but I can't decide between welding and electrical.'"

Since the partnership between SIAST and SaskWITT was launched, SIAST has seen an increase of the number of women enrolling in its trades programs. While enrolment still isn't as high as SIAST wants it to be, the number of women in trades programs doubled between 2007 and 2012. The numbers for technical programs remained consistent at about 15 per cent female enrollment.

"We see women coming into those areas - obviously those barriers are not the same as they used to be, so it's just kind of steadily increasing," says Kwasnica. "We want to see that, where it's not a question of equity anymore, it's just tradespeople."

For more information or to register for the SIAST and SaskWITT programs, call Kwasnica at 306-691-8446, or visit gosiast.com and click on "Women in Trades and Technology" under the "Programs and Courses" tab.

© Copyright (c) The StarPhoenix. Visit http://www.thestarphoenix.com to view the original article.