Building Pathways New Hampshire: "Program helps women get construction jobs"

Building Pathways New Hampshire (BPNH) is currently recruiting women for the next cycle of their five-week pre-apprenticeship program, which prepares individuals for "high-skill, high-wage construction careers" and assists eligible graduates with joining union apprenticeship programs (Foster's Daily Democrat, 3 Feb. 2015).

For more about BPNH or how to apply, check out the recent Foster's article about their February information sessions:

— Monday, February 9, Teachers Union Hall, 7 Tagart Dr, Nashua
— Thursday, February 12, Plumbers and Pipefitters hall, 161 Londonderry Turnpike, Hookset
— Monday, February 16, Seymour Osman Community Center, 40 Hampshire Circle, Dover

Interested applicants can also contact Joe Gallagher at 603-948-8161 or buildingpathwaysnh@gmail.com.

Repost: Construction-Training Grads Are All Women

The Construction Workforce Initiative 2 Program in New Haven, CT, recently presented 37 women with certificates of completion. This graduation ceremony marked the matriculation of their first women-only class in the construction training program. (Markeshia, 23 Oct. 2014).

Visit http://www.newhavenindependent.org to read the full article.

Girls at Work, Inc. MusicFest 2014: 2-for-1 Tickets on Sale Today!

Girls at Work, Inc. is a non-profit in southern New Hampshire that has worked for 13 years to empower young girls by giving them power tools. Check out their upcoming evening of live music, good food, raffles, and more to support this great organization.

Event Recap: "Paving the Way for Women in Construction" Webinar

"Paving the Way for Women in Construction: Creating Systems and Supports that Work," an October 1, 2014 webinar hosted by the United States Department of Labor Women's Bureau, the Institute for Women's Policy Research, the National Women's Law Center, Wider Opportunities for Women, and Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. "explored ways to increase women's participation, retention, and success in the construction industry." The webinar included a discussion of two new reports, the Institute for Women's Policy Research's results from a survey of tradeswomen and the National Women's Law Center's report on challenges and pathways for women to access higher-paying jobs, as well as best practices in recruitment, training, retention, and technical assistance regarding increasing women's representation in the construction workforce.

For more information about this recent webinar, visit www.dol.gov/wb/.

Repost: Is construction still a losing game for most women? Are you part of the problem?

A recent article by Julia Evans, Chief Executive at BSRIA, describes the ebb and flow of women workers in the construction field during the past two centuries and questions the long-term efficacy of legislation that simply "throws money" at the job access problem. Through a look at the historical efforts to incorporate women in the building trades workforce, Evans smartly argues:

"Funding new training opportunities is a great step forward, but to see real change we need industry leaders to be proactive in embedding a more diverse and inclusive work culture. The majority of women aged 25-45 find that attitudes, behaviours and perceptions are the greatest barriers (3)." (Evans, 23 July 2014)

To read Evans' full argument regarding women workers in Britain's construction workforce, visit http://www.link2portal.com/.

News Release: Suffolk Construction Launches Fall 2014 Subcontractor Development Series

If you know a Massachusetts MBE or WBE that would benefit from training in construction management and greater access to relationships with major contractors like Suffolk Construction, Suffolk Construction's upcoming Subcontractor Development Series may provide the additional information and resources to help that subcontractor increase their success in the construction field. Applications for the Fall 2014 series are due Friday, August 15 at 5pm.

To get more information, review the eligibility requirements, and complete an application, check out Suffolk Construction's recent news release or visit www.suffolk.com/subcontractor_development_series.html.

Repost: What’s Next for Women in the Trades?

Great article written by Michael Theriault, Secretary-Treasurer of the San Francisco Building & Construction Trades Council, about the need to recruit and support more women in the building trades:

"While the old Building Trades pattern of white male exclusion of minorities, then, has been largely – even if not absolutely – superseded by a new, more complex reality, we still appear to exclude women.

We and the City can take many practical steps yet toward enrolling and supporting women in the Trades. We can target pre-apprenticeship programs primarily at women, as does a recent Iron Workers multi-trades welding program. We can insist that existing pre-apprenticeship programs target specific numbers of female apprenticeship candidates, as the Carpenters have done at John O’Connell High School. I have advocated for years for childcare programs with construction hours, which would benefit many men as well. We can ask successful Tradeswomen to serve as recruiters and mentors" (Theriault, 30 May 2014).

Visit http://www.sfbuildingtradescouncil.org/ to read the full article.

Repost: Hundreds of girls try out nontraditional jobs at career fair

Congratulations to our colleagues at Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. for bringing over 2,000 women and girls to their recent Women in Trades Career Fair!



Here's a short recap from nwlaborpress.org:

"More than 2,000 women and teenagers were introduced to careers in 'non-traditional' trades such as construction worker, lineman, and firefighter at the 22nd annual Women in Trades Career Fair held May 8-10 in Northeast Portland" (Northwest Labor Press, 14 May 2014).

Visit http://www.katu.com/news, http://nwlaborpress.org/, and http://www.tradeswomen.net/Fair/ to learn more.

Repost: A few strong women - Buildings Trades Union wants more female workers

More great press for Building Pathways New Hampshire! Here's a preview of the article in the April 17th issue of The Hippo:

"Nationally, women only make up about 2 percent of building industries workers, but if you ask the organizers of the New Hampshire Building Pathways program, a new initiative aimed at recruiting and training women for careers in construction, women do just as well as men. 

'The truth is, women have been doing heavy physical labor since the dawn of time. There’s nothing inherent about us that says we can’t do this,' said Liz Skidmore, Building Pathways organizer and veteran construction worker. 'As girls, we don’t get told this is an option, or this is possible.' 

The New Hampshire Building Trades Unions is piloting Building Pathways, which will give 13 unemployed and underemployed women the opportunity to participate in a pre-apprenticeship program." (Fishow, 17 April 2014)

Visit http://www.hippopress.com/ to read the full article.

Repost: Women Finding a Second Chance in Energy Efficiency

Congratulations to Oregon Tradeswomen for the recent coverage of their continued great work. Here's a quote from the op-ed on Next City's website, describing their successful apprenticeship program:

"Dobhran moved to Portland, Oregon, where she and her son shared a small bedroom in a friend’s apartment. She relied on public assistance while she scoured the city for work.

...

Then she heard about an apprenticeship program offered by Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. The organization uses grants to provide 6-8 week training courses for women who want to work in industries like green building and energy efficiency." (Johnson Avery, 24 April 2014)

Visit http://nextcity.org/ to read the full article.

Repost: New law requires MassDOT construction pre-apprentice program

A recent article in The Boston Globe describes a new bill that requires MassDOT to utilize a pre-apprenticeship program for training construction workers:

"State legislators are hoping that a pre-apprenticeship program required by a transportation bond bill will give women and minorities more access to state construction jobs. 

The provision in the bill mandates that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation train at least 300 young adults, women, minorities, or people from low-income families annually in a program that would last at least five years." (Powers, 25 April 2014)

Visit http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro to read the article. 

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.

Repost: Sisters of Philadelphia (video)

Great stories from UBC Sisters in Philly!


Sisters of Philadelphia from UBC Sisters in the Brotherhoo on Vimeo.

Career Opportunity: Building Pathways New Hampshire pre-apprenticeship program

Building Pathways New Hampshire is looking for women who want to join the construction trades!


BPNH PSA-JB 03122014 from UBC Sisters in the Brotherhoo on Vimeo.

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.

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.

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: Sports Authority Announces Partnership to Ensure Minorities and Women Workforce Equity

The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority commits $700,000 to meeting workforce hiring goals on new Vikings stadium, hires local community/labor coalition to provide outreach and training.

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The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) announced Thursday that it has chosen Summit Academy OIC and its community partners to serve as the Employment Assistance Firm (EAF) for the construction of the Minnesota Vikings stadium. The group will identify qualified workers, provide training and placement, and offer quality assurance to ensure the project employs a highly-skilled diverse workforce. “We are committed to having the people of Minnesota build the ‘People’s Stadium’,” said Louis King, president of Summit Academy OIC. “This is truly a unique collaborative effort that brings together a strong team of 17 community partners to recruit, hire and train minorities, women and veterans. We applaud MSFA for supporting this process.”

The MSFA has committed to meet the state-mandated goals of employing 32 percent minorities and six percent women on the construction of the Vikings stadium. The organization also has taken the unprecedented step of investing $700,000 to develop the workforce.

“The MSFA is proud to contract with the Employment Assistance Firm “EAF” – Summit Academy OIC,” said MSFA Equity Director Alex Tittle. “We are excited that the collaboration of groups will serve as a resource that will assist us in delivering a workforce that reflects the Twin Cities demographics. We are also proud to announce that MA Mortenson/Thor, Summit Academy and MSFA are working diligently to connect the workforce needs with the project.”

Summit Academy OIC will lead a coalition of local organizations in education, construction training and organized labor that will assist with recruitment and outreach, provide construction-related training and facilitate job placement. In addition, a comprehensive database will be developed to capture existing and new minority, female and veteran workers, and make their data available to employers working on the project.

“MCTC and Saint Paul College are pleased to be the lead higher education partners for this project,” said Mike Christenson, Associate Vice President of Workforce Development at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. “This is an unprecedented agreement that will create clear construction pathways for students of color.” Demographic estimates show that by 2040, people of color will represent nearly 45 percent of the Twin Cities’ population. In addition to providing a diverse workforce for the Vikings stadium, this effort has the potential to meet the workforce needs for future construction projects in Minnesota while also enabling individuals from disadvantaged communities to become self-sufficient. “We are pleased that the MSFA is supporting our efforts to ensure that the people working on the new stadium reflect the diverse population of the city,” said Al Flowers, community organizer. “This is an exciting time for Minneapolis and we look forward to working together on this historic project.”

To read the remainder of this article, visit http://www.blackvoicenews.com/.

Career Opportunity: Apprentice as an Operating Engineer

HOISTING & PORTABLE ENGINEERS Local 4
Apprenticeship & Training Program

The Training Center will accept applications for entry into the apprenticeship program during the month of November.

Each year at this time, Local 4 notifies appropriate agencies and interested parties regarding their application period. November is the only month that interested parties must apply in person at the Canton Engineers Training Center, One Engineers Way, Canton, MA 02021-3708 (Telephone: 781-821-0306)

To be eligible as an applicant, these basic qualifications must be met at the time the application is assigned.

To join the Apprenticeship & Training Program's inquiry list, please register online.