Repost: 'I Chose Construction Because of a Desire to Create'

20 Questions for Women in Construction

Posted: 03/01/2013 2:48 pm
By Nedelka "Mac" McLean, Carpenter Apprentice

What was your first job in construction? My first project was a King Kullen Supermarket in Long Island.

What is your current job? Renovating a school in Staten Island damaged by Sandy.

Are you in a union? What is the best part of being in a union? I am in a union and enjoy the sense of family and guaranteed benefits.

Why did you choose construction? What led you to construction? I chose construction because of a desire to create.

Who inspires you? I am inspired and motivated by the stories of the women who came before me.

What has been the most surprising part of being a woman working in construction? The majority of the men I have worked with judge you on your skills and not your gender.

What is your favorite part of your career? When a project is near completion and I know I have made a contribution.

What is the biggest change you have seen in the field since you started? The biggest change is in the number of women in the field thanks to NEW.

What is your favorite tool? My favorite is the screw gun and T-square.

What would surprise us about you? I started in this field at age 50.

What would surprise us about you? I started in this field at age 50.

What is your favorite hard hat sticker? My Local 157 sticker.

View the original article at www.huffingtonpost.com.

Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) prepares, trains, and places women in careers in the skilled construction, utility, and maintenance trades, helping women achieve economic independence and a secure future. At the same time, NEW provides a pipeline of qualified workers to the industries that build, move, power, green, and maintain New York. NEW transforms women’s lives. NEW’s free training program starts a woman on the path to a career where she learns a skilled trade, earns a good salary, and is able to provide a secure future for her family.

Repost: A Day in the Life of a Woman in Construction

20 Questions for Women in Construction

Posted: 02/15/2013 1:07 pm

By Amy A. Peterson

Hard Hats. Strong Women. Building the Future.

Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) prepares, trains and places women in careers in the skilled construction, utility and maintenance trades, helping women achieve economic independence and a secure future. NEW graduates are working as carpenters, electricians, ironworkers, laborers, plumbers and operating engineers.

NEW was founded in 1978, when less than 3 percent of engineers were women and less than 6 percent of architects were women. Today, those percentages are above 13 percent and 25 percent, respectively. The number of tradeswomen hasn't grown as fast. Nationwide less than one percent of carpenters were women in 1978 and by 2009 the percentage nationwide was still less than 2 percent. According to the New York Building Congress analysis, "Construction remains a male-dominated industry, with men accounting for 93 percent of all workers." However, in New York City, the number of women in construction is growing. Today, thanks to a unique partnership between NEW, labor unions, contractors, and government, 10 percent of the apprentices in the building and construction trades in New York City are women.

Follow our blog to hear the stories of women working in construction in New York City at every level as we ask 20 questions to women working in construction.

Denise Doyle, D.C. 9 Painter, Recruitment Manager of Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW), Recording Sec of Local 20 D.C. 9, Executive Board Council Delegate, Trustee - D.C. 9- Council Delegate

What was your first job in construction? Sanding walls

What is your current job? Recruitment Manager and Painting Instructor at Nontraditional Employment for Women

What job do you want in the future? I have honestly never thought about it, I love what I do now!

Are you in a union? What is the best part of being in a union? Yes, D.C. 9 Painters and Allied Trades Local 20. The best part of being in a union is being part of an organization that helps build New York.

Why did you choose construction? What led you to construction? I believe that construction chose me.

When did you realize you wanted to work in construction? When I was a first year apprentice I realized that I truly enjoyed my job.

Is there someone in particular in your life that led you to this career? My parents always told me that I can do whatever I wanted to do. And my husband is a Union carpenter.

Who inspires you? All the women in construction that paved the way before me.

What has been the most surprising part of being a woman working in construction? After earning respect, how great the guys were in teaching me their trade.

What is your favorite part of your career? Turning journey level.

What is your most memorable moment working in construction? 9/11/2001

What is your favorite project you have worked on? I have worked at the United Nations on two different occasions.

What is the biggest challenge of being a woman working in construction? Fitting in sometimes as the only woman on the crew.

What is the biggest change you have seen in the field since you started? There are more women now than when I started.

What advice would you give someone starting out? I would advise them that they need to earn respect and work hard every day.

What is your favorite tool? My 5-in-1

What is your favorite hard hat sticker? My D.C. 9 Local 20 Queens sticker.

What is your most valuable certification? What was the most challenging? My Labor Studies Degree from Empire State College that the union paid for. It was challenging to work and keep up with studies.

See the original interview at www.huffingtonpost.com.

Fwd: The Sky is the Limit for NYC Tradeswomen

From NEW newsletter

June 2011 NEW 2011 Equity Leadership Awards Luncheon 2011 Equity Leadership Tradeswoman Honoree Ana Taveras On June 9th, NEW celebrated the women who build New York City at our annual Luncheon. Over 700 industry leaders and NEW supporters were in attendance to honor the 2011 Equity Leadership Honorees and to celebrate the owners, contractors, unions, and employers who are helping to open doors for NEW graduates every day. "NEW showed me a door that I never knew existed, a door of opportunity. NEW unlocked that door for me, the Laborers opened the door, and I pushed through and marched right in." Ana Taveras, NEW Graduate Laborer, Local 79 Organizing Coordinator, Laborers Eastern Region Organizing Fund Watch Ana tell her story How You Can Help Anthony Berardo, Director of Construction, Ronsco, Inc. and Lizbeth Lasso, NEW Graduate Hire a NEW Graduate for a Short-Term Job NEW has screened and qualified candidates available immediately for temporary job opportunities. Learn more about how NEW can meet your temporary employment needs. "We are a better business because of it." Susan Hayes Cauldwell Wingate Company, LLC The internship at Ronsco was a phenomenal experience. I saw women in the work place and it gave me the confidence I needed." Lizbeth Lasso NEW Graduate Students in NEW shop Learn more about NEW and how you can help Do you want to learn more about NEW? Would you like to meet NEW students and graduates? Contact Jennifer Williford to schedule a tour of NEW's training center or to learn how you can get involved. "Our first step was to visit NEW's headquarters on 20th Street. We were impressed by the classrooms including the carpentry shop and the drywall mockup, but most importantly by the students enrolled in the program that we met that day." Louise Matthews Vice President, Global Real Estate and Facilities Avon Products, Inc. Photo by Kelsy Chauvin© Josefina Calcano Carpenter NYC District Council of Carpenters Before NEW, I didn't know which direction my life was going in. I didn't have a secure job. I always knew that I enjoyed working with my hands and building things. I just wasn't aware that it was a possibility for me to do construction work as a career. I didn't know about NEW. Being at NEW was an awesome experience. I got to meet great women and we bonded. I put down some roots at NEW. It's where I started my journey as a tradeswoman. And it's made a real difference in my life. I have a secure job with benefits and a good pay rate. I can take care of my family. I am working on the World Trade Center Tower 4. It's great to see so many women working on this project. NEW is helping to build New York and women are playing a big role in that. I love being surrounded by women who are in the trades just like me. There should be even more tradeswomen working on job sites, more of us to build New York City. QUICK LINKS Website Donate Mailing List Facebook The Sky is the Limit "Before NEW, the ceiling was a lot lower as far as my earnings, as far as what I could hope to achieve. With this trade, the sky is the limit." Tara Van Ness, NEW Graduate Plumber, Local 1 Hear what other tradeswomen and industry leaders are saying about NEW Watch NEW's film "The Sky is the Limit" NEW Partners with Brooklyn Community Foundation NEW is proud to announce a recent grant award made by the Brooklyn Community Foundation. The Foundation works to improve the lives of people in Brooklyn by strengthening communities through local giving, grantmaking and community service. This support will allow NEW to continue to help women move from poverty to prosperity through a career in the skilled trades. Nontraditional Employment for Women | 243 West 20th Street, New York, NY | (212) 627-6252 | www.new-nyc.org