Polytechnic Campaigns for More Women in Trades

Friday, 4 November 2011, 10:34 am
Press Release: Otago Polytech

4 November 2011

Polytechnic Campaigns for More Women in Trades

In a bid to encourage more women into prosperous trades and technical careers, Otago Polytechnic is launching a campaign to celebrate women who work in the trades and to emphasise that they offer promising careers for women as well as for men.

Otago Polytechnic Chief Executive, Phil Ker, says there is an increasing imperative nationally to train more tradespeople. "There is a significant and long-standing skills shortage in New Zealand which is of obvious concern. And compounding that situation, the country must soon focus on rebuilding Christchurch after the tragic earthquakes there. It is vitally important we make concerted efforts to increase the number of people choosing to enter the trades, and that includes women."

As part of its campaign, the Polytechnic has organised a Women in Trades Expo on campus on Thursday 24 November. This expo will give women the opportunity to try out a trade, see demonstrations of different tools and techniques, listen to speeches by successful tradeswomen and chat with lecturers and programme managers about career and study options.

To promote the campaign, Otago Polytechnic has teamed up with More FM to run a public competition centred around the idea of a Dream Room – a female equivalent of the 'man cave'. Otago Polytechnic students will design the structure and then the radio station will call for listeners to send in their designs for the interior. The winning design will be built by tradeswomen in Queen's Gardens on Wednesday 23 November. Placemakers is donating the materials for the build, and the winner of the design competition wins a $500 Beaute Pamper Pack.

"There are increasing numbers of women who have studied a trade and gone on to have successful, well-paid and rewarding careers as a result. We want to highlight this fact and encourage other women to follow suit," says Phil Ker.

Otago Polytechnic offers a wide range of trades and technical programmes: Carpentry, Construction, Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Architectural Draughting, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Stonemasonry.

Women in Trades Expo
Thursday 24 November
4pm – 8pm (speeches start at 6pm)
Otago Polytechnic, L Block
Anzac Avenue, Dunedin.

'Dream Room' Build
Wednesday 23 November
Queen's Gardens, Dunedin.

Retrieved from: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED1111/S00031/polytechnic-campaigns-for-more-women-in-trades.htm

Retrieved from:

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-703

On-the-Job Training: Federal Highway Administration Needs to Strengthen Program Assessment

GAO-11-703 September 7, 2011

Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 51 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)

Summary

The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) on-the-job training program-- a relatively small part of the federal aid highway program--requires states to implement job training programs to provide traditionally underrepresented groups with opportunities in highway construction. To increase the effectiveness of state job training programs, FHWA grants up to $10 million annually for supportive services, such as job placement assistance. This report examines the extent to which (1) FHWA's job training program enhances training and career opportunities for these groups, (2) FHWA oversees the job training programs, and (3) supportive services provide assistance to these programs. To address these topics GAO reviewed federal legislation, good management practices identified in prior GAO reports, FHWA documents, and proposals and reports submitted by states. GAO conducted an in-depth examination of these efforts in four states, and interviewed a cross-section of FHWA staff, state officials, and industry groups.

It is unclear the extent to which FHWA's on-the-job training program enables women, minorities, and economically disadvantaged individuals to reach journeylevel status in the highway construction trades, although stakeholders believe it can create some opportunities. FHWA's decentralized management of the program--in which state transportation agencies and FHWA's division offices are generally responsible for program implementation--has led to a wide range of practices. As a result, the types of training opportunities created by the program vary from state to state in terms of, for example, the length of training and the entities involved in providing training. In addition, the extent that state programs focus on creating training opportunities for traditionally underrepresented groups differs. The limited amount of useable information available on program results varies among states. As a result, FHWA does not know how well the program is doing, and GAO could not accurately determine how many trainees participate in the program or the demographics of those trainees; however, GAO estimates that several thousand likely participate in any one year. FHWA's oversight approach does little to assess program results. FHWA lacks clear criteria that articulate what states are supposed to accomplish through their job training programs. While some broad program expectations are stipulated in guidance and regulations, FHWA acknowledges some of these are outdated. Furthermore, FHWA's oversight approach does not determine the overall effectiveness of state programs or measure state progress. For example, although state transportation agencies are required to submit achievement information on an annual basis to FHWA division offices, states submitted this information using a wide range of different output terms and different demographic and trade classification categories. GAO has reported that program criteria are key aspects of results-oriented performance management. Through a separate program, FHWA provides funding for a variety of activities intended to increase the overall effectiveness of the on-the-job training program, but its overall stewardship of the program is limited. FHWA's supportive services program provides grants for locally tailored initiatives, such as skills training, child care, and career awareness events, that directly and indirectly link to job training programs. However, there is insufficient data to determine how effective these efforts have been in enhancing job training opportunities. Although FHWA has articulated the types of data states should collect and report, the agency does not know, and GAO could not determine, the number of participants in the supportive services program or its effect, in part because grantees do not always provide information about their program results. However, GAO estimated that there are about 10,000 people participating in any one year. Furthermore, past performance information is not required of applicants or scored during funding reviews. Given that many grantees are funded repeatedly, good management practices suggest that using past performance information can inform and improve recipient selection approaches. Program results are important for making budgetary and programmatic decisions. Without insight into program activities, FHWA cannot ensure that funding is used effectively. GAO recommends that FHWA (1) strengthen on-the-job training program criteria, (2) create and implement an oversight approach for its job training program, and (3) evaluate the extent to which supportive services programs have met their goals and use this information to inform future funding decisions. The agency generally agreed with these recommendations and provided technical comments, which were incorporated as appropriate.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

Director:	David J. Wise
Team:	Government Accountability Office: Physical Infrastructure
Phone:	(202) 512-5731

Recommendations for Executive Action

Recommendation: To establish accountability for meeting the programs' goal of increasing the participation of traditionally underrepresented groups in the highway construction workforce, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the FHWA Administrator to strengthen criteria--through regulations, guidelines, or other mechanisms--so that states have a clear understanding of how the on-the-job training program should be implemented and the results state programs are intended to accomplish.

Agency Affected: Department of Transportation

Status: In process

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Recommendation: To establish accountability for meeting the programs' goal of increasing the participation of traditionally underrepresented groups in the highway construction workforce, the Secretary of Transportation should direct the FHWA Administrator to create and implement an oversight mechanism that (1) holds states accountable for meeting federal training criteria and (2) clearly stipulates how FHWA will assess state program effectiveness, including what type of program achievement data states are to submit and how such data will be used. This oversight mechanism should include assessing the effectiveness of its division offices in overseeing state activities.

Agency Affected: Department of Transportation

Status: In process

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Recommendation: To establish accountability for meeting the programs' goal of increasing the participation of traditionally underrepresented groups in the highway construction workforce, the Secretary of Transportation should, for the supportive services program, develop an approach to (1) evaluate the extent to which grantees have met their proposed annual goals and (2) integrate the results of this evaluation into FHWA's funding decisions for supportive services programs.

Agency Affected: Department of Transportation

Status: In process

Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

PGTI Blog

Pages

Sunday, November 6, 2011