Repost: Kudumbasree’s masons all set to enter construction industry

Kudumbasree members undergo masonry training in Kochi.

Construction training for women happening in India!

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M. P. PRAVEEN

On successfully creating a pool of women engineers and supervisors in a largely male-dominated construction sector, the Kudumbasree Mission in the district is all set to expand its presence in the sector by training women in allied activities.

The mission is now focused on training skilled masons, plumbers and electricians.

A 90-day training in masonry for the first batch of 30 women has been completed and the second batch of 25 women is set to complete training this month-end. Ten of those who completed training are undergoing internship while many among the rest are doing independent works.

As part of their practical training, Kudumbasree members constructed three houses at Panayikkulam near Aluva. The houses are pucca houses and could be sold by the agency concerned, a senior Kudumbasree official in the district told The Hindu.

An agency based in Ettumanoor was roped in to create the module of training and to execute it. The same agency has been entrusted with training plumbers and electricians.

The masons trained under the programme will be roped in for projects to be undertaken by the construction wing of Kudumbasree, thereby helping them gain more experience and get more works.

A pool of 37 engineers and supervisors trained by KITCO and split into three teams is now equipped to take up construction assignments.

The agreement for their first assignment, a project to construct houses for scheduled communities at Edakkattuvayal, is likely to be signed soon after the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April 10.

The training module for plumbers and electricians has already been prepared. Training will start only after the elections to avoid violation of the model code of conduct in force.

Applications are being sought from aspiring candidates through the neighbourhood Kudumbasree units. Attitude and aptitude for the job are paramount considerations.

The Kudumbasree Mission is looking to train a batch of 20 plumbers and 20 electricians initially,

The Ernakulam branch of the mission was the first to initiate training for engineers, supervisors, masons, plumbers and electricians. Now, Wayanad and Palakkad units are planning to launch training programmes in masonry.

The district unit of the mission has concluded training for supervisors and engineers in the construction sector for the time being.

The project was implemented with the aid of HUDCO and it would be resumed only if someone offered assistance, the official said.

From BBC: Electricians job scheme looking to expand

By Victoria KingBBC News

Continue reading the main story

A scheme training women in social housing to be electricians is looking to expand. But its advocates believe changes in attitude from the government and employers are needed to help initiatives like it to thrive.

A year ago, mother-of-three Nicole Briscoe was job hunting with little optimism. Now she is on her way to becoming a skilled tradeswoman and is planning to set up her own business.

Nicole is one of 11 women taking part in Wired for Success, a training scheme run by the Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA). All of them are tenants of housing association L&Q which teamed up with the ECA to get the initiative off the ground.

It's the brainchild of Diane Johnson, the first female ECA president, who is adamant it can - and should - expand, both geographically and to other trades.

"It is a no-brainer," she says. "These people are on benefits - and the minute they're qualified they can come off them."

Round-the-clock

Flexibility is key to Wired for Success.

Nicole's youngest daughter was just five when she signed up, and it was the seemingly impossible task of fitting fulfilling, financially viable work around her child that had until then kept her out of the job market.

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“Start Quote

The empowerment I feel knowing where I'm going to be at the end is amazing”

Nicole BriscoeWired for Success trainee

This programme, however, allows her to begin work later in the day - after taking her daughter to school - and finish work in time to pick her up.

John Blaus, from Electrical Assessment Services, is actually at the plug-face, so to speak, training the women - and in his words, he's never worked with "a more dynamically committed group of people".

But he stresses just how much support has to be provided to make the scheme work - support given round the clock by one of his colleagues, Jan Emery.

"At 10.30 last night she was dealing with a problem with a lady who just had not got sufficient finance to get to the workplace today," he says.

"Without her I think we would have lost two or three ladies by now due to natural issues and problems they come across."

There's no doubt that such a level of flexibility and support presents a challenge for traditional - often male-dominated - industries, as well as colleges and similar institutions.

They would almost certainly need help themselves to overcome such challenges.

Benefits issues

Another issue Nicole and her fellow trainees have encountered is with the benefits system.

Wired for Success is not recognised by the Job Centre as a training programme, so they are still under pressure to be looking for work in order to qualify for JobSeekers Allowance.

As Diane Johnson puts its: "These girls are actually in training and yet we cannot seem to prove to the benefits agency that they are not sitting at home doing nothing.

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“Start Quote

There is far too much money that is being deployed to the commercial benefit of training providers”

Iain MacDonaldElectrical Contractors' Association

"We actually need help on that and any scheme like this would need help."

Even very simple things can present difficulties - Nicole's National Insurance number requires her to sign on at the Job Centre on a Tuesday but that's one of her training days.

"Those little issues may seem small, but they are issues in terms of just being able to get on with your work," she says.

"All that said, I'm on this course and I'm loving it. The empowerment I feel knowing where I'm going to be at the end is amazing."

Labour MP Catherine McKinnell, who is a friend of the scheme, says problems like these, while not inevitable, are "constantly recurring", but she hopes the forthcoming switch to Universal Credit will provide an opportunity to make the benefits system fit better alongside different forms of training.

The government has also launched an independent review of its apprenticeship programmes, so the hope is that this sort of feedback can be fed into that.

'Non-productive outcomes'

There is only ever a going to be a limited pot of funding for schemes like Wired for Success, and while it is expensive, those involved believe it's a considerable improvement on much of what is going on now - and would be better for the taxpayer in the long term.

"What I don't understand is that the government is happy to provide money to put people on courses, then when they finish the course they don't go anywhere," Diane Johnson says.

"They stay on benefits, there is no job at the end.

"If there was some support for this initiative then basically we can guarantee that these people would never go back on benefits again because they can go out and earn a living."

Iain MacDonald, head of education and training at the ECA, goes further.

"As an industry we often see substantial amounts of funding being directed towards non-productive outcomes. I would like to see public money being directed towards what you would term an industry-recognised outcome.

"There is far too much money that is being deployed to the commercial benefit of training providers and not the commercial benefits of the industries the qualifications purport to serve."

Everyone involved in Wired for Success agree that while it might sound counter-intuitive, schemes to tackle unemployment can't just be expected to conjure up jobs.

Instead, the focus has to be on providing people with skills, so if vacancies come up, they're ready - or alternatively, they can set up their own businesses from scratch.

Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18492957

Accidental Trailblazers for Tradeswomen

By Tunisia L. Riley*

On January 25, 2011 Women’s eNews sponsored a panel discussion of female electricians, moderated by Francine Moccio, author of Live Wire: Women and Brotherhood in the Electrical Industry. The event was standing room only with guests filling each seat and lining the walls of the Women’s eNews office. Panelists included Melinda Hernandez, Laura Kelber, Cynthia Long, and Susan Eisenberg. The women were all featured in Live Wire and were from Local Union 3.

The all-woman panel discussed the many hurdles female electricians face. Their stories were both painful and inspiring as the theme of sexual harassment threaded throughout each of their experiences. Beyond the harassment, the women also recounted the pride they felt in the work they were doing. No one signed on the be a trailblazer for tradeswomen but in the midst of their struggles, they became the mouthpiece of women electricians, a sisterhood that bore the scars of sexism, racism, and homophobia.

Melinda Hernandez spoke of growing up in NYC and standing in line on the cold streets of Queens waiting for an application to join Local 3’s apprentice program to become an electrician. She said she spent her 22nd birthday camped out for hours and ultimately became a Journey Woman. She would refer to her male colleagues as “haters and harassers” as many of the men vehemently opposed her presence as a female electrician. “I was invading the boys club and they were going to the do their best to get me out…I’d had to fight the fight for the right to be there.” When Hernandez received her “journeyman” card, she made it a point to have the language changed to reflect the women electricians in the field. She won that battle as her next card said “journey woman.”

Laura Kelber beamed with pride as she spoke of the electrical work she’d done at various high profile buildings across the New York City metropolitan area. But while she took pride in her work, she still encountered ample resistance from co-workers. She recounted one job where the foreman followed her around with a pornographic magazine while making lewd comments towards her. Kelber and other panelist recalled break rooms and locker rooms lined with pornography, and portajohns that would not lock. In the midst of these conditions, the women electricians banded together by giving each other emotional support by listening to each other’s stories and encouraging each other in the hostile environment. They also banded together to familiarize themselves with sexual harassment laws, OSHA, and letter writing to improve their working conditions.

Like Melinda and Laura, Cynthia Long faced the uphill battle of trying to do her work in spite of the hostile environment. She noted feeling let down by the union she paid dues to.  If she knew she would face such severe verbal backlash as a woman electrician, she said she would not have gone through it. Melinda echoed this sentiment: "You spend so much time and energy fighting and working, you forget how to be nurturing and kind. Everything becomes a battle and you lose a bit of yourself and peace of mind."

Susan Eisenberg, author of We’ll Call You When We Need You (a book that came out in 1998), interviewed women who were pioneers as electricians and carpenters. She used their narratives to share stories from the field. Eisenberg collected stories and artifacts from these pioneering women to create “On Equal Terms: Women in Construction, 30 years and still organizing” an art exhibit at Brandeis University.

Each woman spoke of the bittersweet fruit that is the life of a tradeswoman. While they took great pride in their work and enjoyed the financial compensation for the hard work, they also faced an uphill battle against sexism from co-workers and unions that was unchanged from their first day to their last. They worked tirelessly and risked their lives as electricians, carpenters, and construction workers. It was clear they didn’t want a handout; they just wanted the respect of their colleagues as they worked to provide better lives for themselves and their families.

For more information about supporting or learning more about Women Electricians in the New York City area contact Cynthia Long.

For more information on the electrician field:

• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
• Deptartment of Labor Definition of Electrician

*Tunisia L. Riley is a frequent guest blogger on The Real Deal. She holds a BA in English and Women’s Studies from the College of William & Mary and an MA in Women’s Studies from the University of South Florida. Her interests are on Black women’s use of creative expression as a means of healing, empowerment, and activism. She believes “when we tell our stories, we empower those around us to agitate injustice, inspire change, and create activism.” Tunisia currently serves as the editor of Under the Microscope, a site for women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to tell their stories. Under the Microscope is for, by, and about women in STEM. Consider submitting your story today!

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