Canterbury New Zealand is rebuilding from a massive earthquake in 2010. The government of New Zealand has made it a priority to get women into these jobs. Political will has made it happen. 2400 women working on the rebuild equal 17.8% of the workforce! See it here.
Showing posts with label women in trades. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women in trades. Show all posts
Friday, October 23, 2015
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
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.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Windsor, Ontario casting call for construction opportunities video
Windsor’s women in construction group is seeking female skilled tradespeople to participate in an upcoming video promoting career opportunities in the industry.
Christine Prymack, operations and communications manager at the Windsor Construction Association said the initiative is being undertaken in conjunction with the Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board and the Greater Essex County District School Board.
Targeted at girls in Grade 10, the video is to be produced by students from one of the schools. Slated for completion next fall, the video will be aired at various schools.
“We’re not necessarily looking at any particular trades in terms of participation in the video,” Prymack said. “But preferably, these would be trades where some post-secondary education is required.”
The women in construction group would like to see interviews conducted at jobsites, in order to best demonstrate the diversity of the industry.
In an allied undertaking, members of the group also are looking into providing mentors for women graduating from post-secondary institutions and entering the construction industry.
Mentoring is one of the key goals of the year-old group, established with the blessing of the boards of both the Windsor Construction Association and sister Heavy Construction Association. Providing networking opportunities is another top priority.
The group now has more than 80 members, representing a broad cross-section of the local construction industry, including contractors operating in the heavy and industrial, commercial and institutional sectors as well as subcontractors, company owners, architects, engineers, and suppliers. Upcoming events include a golf outing and dinner Aug. 16 at the Woodland Hills Golf Club and a networking evening in the fall.
On an ongoing basis, the group is involved in efforts to raise funds for Hiatus House, a local women’s shelter. That initiative is being undertaken in conjunction with the city of Windsor’s building department.
Women interested in participating in the video or other group functions should contact Prymack by e-mail.
Retrieved from: http://dcnonl.com/article/id50593/--windsor-ontario-casting-call-for-construction-opportunities-video
Thursday, June 7, 2012
America's Labor Leaders to Release Major Study on The Associated Builders and Contractors
WHAT: The Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD), joined by the AFL-CIO and LIUNA, will release the findings of a first-ever state-by-state comparative analysis of the Associated Builders and Contractors trade association, better known as ABC, and its affiliate organizations. The findings expose ABC's data manipulation and an aggressive disinformation campaign designed to confuse elected officials, the public and the press into supporting policies that produce fewer jobs, lower wages, and minimal workforce training, which have had a detrimental effect on workers, their communities and the US construction industry as a whole.
The report, written by Dr. Thomas J. Kriger, analyzes ABC from a number of different perspectives, including its origins, its membership and density among contractors in the American construction industry, its finances, its formal apprenticeship and craft training programs (along with its affiliate, the National Center for Construction Education and Research, NCCER), and ABC's more recent electronic, ideological issues advocacy.
The findings of the report, "Driving the Low Road in the Construction Industry: An Analysis of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)," will be released at a teleprint conference call.
The report, written by Dr. Thomas J. Kriger, analyzes ABC from a number of different perspectives, including its origins, its membership and density among contractors in the American construction industry, its finances, its formal apprenticeship and craft training programs (along with its affiliate, the National Center for Construction Education and Research, NCCER), and ABC's more recent electronic, ideological issues advocacy.
The findings of the report, "Driving the Low Road in the Construction Industry: An Analysis of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)," will be released at a teleprint conference call.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Women’s career fair revs up girls’ interest in trades
POSTED: Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 01:42 PM PT
Some girls covered their ears as a jackhammer emitted loud blasts and sent streams of dust into the air, but Breah Etherly’s eyes lit up during a concrete breaker demonstration on Thursday.
Eighth-grader Ka'Terria Phillips, left, gets a lesson in tying rebar from Kirk Bearden, an ironworker with Local 29, during the 20th annual Women in Trades Career Fair. (Photo by Sam Tenney/DJC)
If you go:
What: Nontraditional career fair connecting girls and female job seekers to apprenticeship and job training opportunities in building, construction, mechanical, technical and utility trades.
When: Today, for registered high school girls; Saturday, for the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Also on Saturday, at 1:30 p.m., Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. will present an information session about its free seven-week pre-apprenticeship class for women.
Where: NECA/IBEW Electrical Training Center, 16021 N.E. Airport Way in Portland
Cost: Free.
When: Today, for registered high school girls; Saturday, for the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Also on Saturday, at 1:30 p.m., Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. will present an information session about its free seven-week pre-apprenticeship class for women.
Where: NECA/IBEW Electrical Training Center, 16021 N.E. Airport Way in Portland
Cost: Free.
“It’s nice to say you tried something new,” said Etherly, an eighth-grader at Harvey Scott School. “Working with different tools is good exposure for girls.”
The jackhammer workshop, led by women from the Oregon and Southern Idaho Laborers and Employers Training Trust, was among dozens of events taking place during the 20th annual Women in Trades Career Fair at the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center in Northeast Portland.
Nearly 600 girls from 21 middle schools revved up power tools, climbed electrical poles, built birdhouses and learned about careers in the trades to kick off this year’s event.
“Our efforts over the years have meant that Oregon has two times the number of women in trades compared to other states that don’t have similar efforts,” saidConnie Ashbrook, executive director ofOregon Tradeswomen Inc., which started the fair in 1993.
Although many of the middle school students at the fair said they aren’t planning on pursuing careers in the trades, one of OTI’s goals is simply to expose more young women to the construction industry.
“Most of the girls have never used a power tool before and are afraid of the noise at first,” said Aida Aranda, an apprentice coordinator for the training trust. “But once they get out here, it encourages them to open their eyes.”
Zakeiba Ofusu, left, and Zharia Hale, both eighth-graders at the SEI Academy, learn to repair a broken water main at a station sponsored by the Portland Water Bureau. (Photo by Sam Tenney/DJC)
She added that middle school girls are becoming increasingly receptive to careers in the trades, especially as the industry ramps up its outreach through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
On the other side of the fair, roofers from Local 49 set up a table to demonstrate some of the materials and processes they use to build green roofing systems, which many of the students from H.B. Lee Middle School didn’t even know existed.
“These roofs actually help the environment and make things better for people,” seventh-grader Karly Emmett said.
The middle school girls built flowerpots using adhesives, primers and single-ply sheets that roofers use on the job.
Tationia Thompson, left, learns to connect structural beams under supervision from Kat Lakey, an ironworker with Local 29. (Photo by Sam Tenney/DJC)
The goal Thursday was mainly to demonstrate that “girls can do anything,” said Heidi Kameroff, a roofing apprentice who is directing the Local 49 workshop this year. But today, she added, the event will host hundreds of high school girls, who are more focused on career possibilities.
“We figure the middle school girls are just exploring at this point, so it’s good to give them a taste of what we do,” Kameroff said. “The high school girls will actually do some heat welding – it’s going to be really cool.”
A few high school students are ahead of the game, however. Juniors and seniors from ACE Academy led a workshop on Thursday, helping younger girls build wooden puzzles.
ACE, a shared-time program for juniors and seniors interested in entering the building industries, is seeing more interest from girls. The school’s director, Mike Bryant, said the growth is a direct result of events like the Women in Trades Career Fair.
“Our population of female students has doubled this year,” he said. “Why? These events are having an impact; they’re changing the construction industry.”
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