Business Member Spotlight: P & C Construction
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. welcomes the support of the business community to help us fulfill our mission to engage more women and girls in the trades.
P & C Construction is one of our partners in this program and we thank them for their contribution to OTI. The company is a third generation, local business that has worked on several projects, including the Governor Hotel (now the Sentinel), the original Niketown, and Ronald McDonald House.
OTI thanks the staff of P & C Construction for its support of our programming as a business membership program participant!
If you want to learn more about our business membership program, please send an email to dennise@tradeswomen.net for details on how you can be involved.
A New, Community Partnership: Fighting Fillies!
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. is pleased to announced a new community partnership with the Portland Fighting Fillies!
The all-female team is dedicated to promoting the sport of women’s football. This year, the team began its sixth season and will be playing in four home games. The group is part of the Women’s Football Alliance that was founded in 2008 and plays in the Northwest Division – the team was the division champion in 2010 and 2011! Their next home game is against the Portland Shockwave and is taking place on May 16 at 6:30 pm in Hillsboro.
As part of our partnership, OTI will be attending the home games so be sure to keep an eye our on Facebook wall to score free tickets!
Here is a great video capturing one of their practices:
State of Black Oregon 2015
Today, the Urban League of Portland released its report, State of Black Oregon 2015. The press and community launch took place on the Portland Community College Cascade Campus.
The report is the result of a two-year program of research that provides an updated look at how Black Oregonians are doing – in schools, jobs, and both urban and rural communities throughout the state. The first State of Black Oregon report was released six years ago.
At today’s launch event, new president and CEO of Urban League Portland, Nkenge Harmon Johnson spoke about the importance of not only supporting the work of the organization’s policy actions addressed in the 194-page book, but to also ‘look around the table and make sure the community is truly represented’.
Guest speakers included, Mayor Charlie Hales, Senator Avel Louise Gordly and Lisa K. Bates (Portland State University). Mayor Hales announced in his presentation that he has included in his budget a $2 million dollar line item to cover free recreation activities for kids at several community centers in Portland.
Michael Alexander, the outgoing president and CEO of Urban League of Portland, offered closing remarks and also stressed the level of urgency needed in changing the clear disparity in healthcare, education, employment opportunities and other quality of life issues for Black Oregonians.
State of Black Oregon Report 2015 is available to view through Urban League of Portland’s web site.
Legacy Award Opportunity with Women’s Foundation of Oregon
On behalf of the staff, board members, and tradeswomen members of Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI), I am excited and honored to share that OTI is a finalist for a Legacy Award grant from the Women’s Foundation of Oregon.
The Women’s Foundation of Oregon has a vision for Oregon where every woman and girl can thrive. This vision resonates significantly with the work and mission of OTI, which is dedicated to promoting the success for women in the trades through education, leadership, and mentorship. Our work is vital for women and girls in our state because we want to make sure that every woman and girl in Oregon knows about living-wage trades careers and that they can succeed at them. For women living in poverty, long-term economic security can be made possible if they enter the blue-collar professions such as carpenter, electrician, cement mason, machinist, and a variety of other skilled trades careers. OTI supports the vision put forth by the Women’s Foundation of Oregon by creating accessible pathways for low-income women and girls to thrive in all realms of life through living-wage trades careers that are in high demand from industry.
The members of the Women’s Foundation of Oregon will be voting on the finalist for the Legacy Award over the next two weeks. Please watch this compelling video they produced to introduce the three finalists for the Legacy Award:
We appreciate this tremendous opportunity to share our work with the diverse membership of the Women’s Foundation of Oregon. Thank you for considering Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. for this investment in helping women and girls in Oregon thrive to their fullest potential!
Nike Employee Grant Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation awards OTI
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI) has received a generous $15,000 grant from the Nike Employee Grant Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation to support OTI’s Building Girls program’s Building Girls Working Together – a trades work experience in which low—income young women learn the value of on-the-job training and the rewards and benefits of a trades careers within an all-female learning environment.
“We are thrilled to receive this gift from The Nike Employee Grant Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation and are honored for their support of our program to introduce young women to careers they may not have otherwise ever considered possible,” said Katie Yablonsky, Building Girls Program Manager at OTI. “The curriculum of our program not only offers young women basic building and construction skills, but they will also receive various life-skills training to assist them in many aspects of their adult life such as nutrition, financial planning, and self-defense,” Yablonsky concluded.
OTI’s Building Girls Work Crew addresses the lack of trades careers education and training for young women. For four weeks, low-income participants, ages 16-24, will work 3 days per week alongside skilled and experienced tradeswomen. The curriculum focuses on the proper and safe usage of power tools, lifting heavy supplies and tools, framing walls, installing metal roofing, and safety etiquette, all in a positive and supportive environment. Participants will gain the physical skills, self-esteem, and confidence necessary for a career previously considered non-traditional for women.
In addition to the hands-on experiences, the Building Girls Work Crew also provides education in nutrition, self-defense, financial management, resume writing, job-search skills, and typical job expectations. These wrap-around services will assist young women in developing the skills necessary to be successful in the workplace, whether they decide to enter a trades apprenticeship, entry-level trades job, or a non-trades career.
OTI is dedicated to promoting success for women in the trades through education, leadership, and mentorship. OTI is grounded in the principles that women deserve and can attain economic self-sufficiency through pursuing careers in the building, mechanical, electrical, utility, and highway construction trades while helping and encouraging the industry at large to build a diverse workforce.
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. thanks the employees of Nike and the Oregon Community Foundation for this generous gift!
MANUFACTURING ROUNDTABLE EVENT
Overview
The manufacturing industry is projected to need to replace more than 30,000 workers in the next decade, and increasing diversity within the industry is critical to ensure companies have access to the skilled, talented labor required for this important sector of our local economy. Manufacturing in Portland is comprised of more than 107,000 jobs, making up 11% of Portland’s total workforce. In Oregon, overall, 26% of our GDP comes from manufacturing.
On Wednesday, April 22nd, Bank of America and Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. convened a group of 22 manufacturing industry executives to introduce them to OTI’s forthcoming Women in Metals & Manufacturing program and to learn from them what they are looking for in an entry level worker.
During the 90 minute discussion, OTI learned firsthand from representatives from local manufacturing firms about 4 broad buckets of work to address prior to launching the new Women in Metals & Manufacturing program:
1) Input on the curriculum & framework of this new manufacturing program
2) Ideas about how to recruit for the program, create awareness, and market the program
3) How local manufacturing employers can be a part of the program with things like site visits, guest speakers & hands-on training opportunities,
4) How to facilitate connections to women role-models who are successful in their manufacturing careers
Oregon Tradeswomen also learned more about what skills are necessary for entry level employment in the industry and career advancement, and overwhelmingly, those industry representatives echoed the following skills:
- Mechanical aptitude
- Safety minded
- Ability to learn and apply learning
- Keen attention to detail
- Great attitude / Enthusiastic
- Teamwork Oriented
- Respectful
- Driven
The Structure of the Women in Metals & Manufacturing program:
The Women in Metals & Manufacturing program will consist of two parts:
- A one day, hands-on orientation session which introduces women to metals and manufacturing careers, pathways into these careers, and a hands-on activity designed to allow women to experience activities common in manufacturing jobs in order for participants to assess their level of interest and/or their ability to keep pace with the demands of a manufacturing career.
- A two-week program modeled on Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.’s nationally recognized
pre-apprenticeship program, Women in Metals & Manufacturing will offer:- Education and training in shop math
- Blueprint reading
- Worksite expectations
- Developing a manufacturing resume
- Hands-on training activities
- Mentoring from women who are successful in a manufacturing career
- Field trips to local manufacturing companies
- Hands-on training in workshop safety and the safe operation of manual/computerized machines and precision tools
- Graduates will receive job placement assistance and vocational case management services upon program completion.
Timeline:
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.’s program staff will be distilling the feedback we received at this roundtable to help inform the curriculum of our Women in Metals & Manufacturing program. The new program is slated to launch in August 2015 with an orientation, and then the 2 week intensive training will be offered in early September.
Input Survey:
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. welcomes additional feedback from the manufacturing industry to help inform our forthcoming program. If you would like to contribute, please download our survey and return it to:
Dennise M. Kowalczyk
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.
3934 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Ste.# 101
Portland OR 97212
Reward OTI with your Fred Meyer Points
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. is now part of the Fred Meyer Community Rewards program! Now when you do your shopping at Fred Meyer stores, you can link your rewards card to OTI and contribute to a quarterly donation!
Fred Meyer is donating $2.5 million per year to non-profits in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, based on where their customers tell them to give. Here’s how the program works:
• Sign up for the Community Rewards program by linking your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to OTI at www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards. You can search for us by our name or by our non-profit number (87334).
• Then, every time you shop and use your Rewards Card, you are helping Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. earn a donation!
• You still earn your Rewards Points, Fuel Points, and Rebates, just as you do today.
• If you do not have a Rewards Card, they are available at the Customer Service desk of any Fred Meyer store.
Pacific Power Awards Grant to OTI
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. is pleased to announce a $5,000 grant awarded by Pacific Power Foundation for our Pathways to Success program.
The foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations in the categories of education; civic and community betterment; culture and arts; and health, welfare and social services.
With a focus on apprenticeship, our Pathways to Success program offers the Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class (TACC). It is a 7-week, pre-apprenticeship training class that helps women prepare for a high skill, high wage career in construction.
This generous award will help fund student support services, such as books, work boots, tools, rain gear, and bus vouchers and assist staff in placing our students in trades careers and apprenticeships as well as develop relationships with local employers. Students graduate from the state-certified program with everything they need to start working in the trades, from to tools and work boots.
Learn more about our TAC Class or sign up for an information session about the class, the first step to enrollment in the program.
OTI thanks Pacific Power Foundation for its support of our program!
New Seminars for Educators and Employers at the Women in Trades Career Fair
In addition to providing learning opportunities for students and job seekers at the Women in Trades Career Fair, Oregon Tradeswomen is proud to announce a new seminar series taking place on May 14th for educators, employers, and career guidance counselors. In Apprenticeship 101, teachers and career guidance counselors will learn the basics about “the other 4-year degree” and how to help students successfully prepare for a meaningful career in the trades.
Employers, apprenticeship trainers, community college educators, and CTE professionals will be interested in attending Recruiting Women and Girls to Apprenticeship and Career & Technical Education (CTE) — an introduction to practical techniques used to increase the number of women and girls in traditionally male-dominated industries.
Our seminars for practitioners will take place right in the middle of all of the action at the Fair. In addition to learning in a classroom setting from expert apprenticeship trainers and Oregon Tradeswomen’s founder and executive director, seminar attendees will receive a guided tour of the Women in Trades Career Fair. They’ll also participate in hands-on workshops alongside the 1,000+ students that attend the Fair every year, and get to view the fun and inspiring Tradeswomen Work-Wear Fashion Show. Oregon Tradeswomen is also honored that Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian will join our group at the end of the day for a Q&A session for seminar attendees!
Whether you are a teacher or guidance counselor who’d like to learn the basics of apprenticeship, or you’re an industry veteran interested in learning more about diversifying your workforce, we know that you’ll learn a lot at the Women in Trades Career Fair Practitioner Seminars, and you’ll leave inspired by the energy of the tradeswomen and girls that make this event so special.
Register by clicking the purple button below:
AmazonSmile
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. is excited to announce another way to support OTI!
AmazonSmile is a program where Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to OTI. Visit AmazonSmile to shop for your favorite books and support your favorite non-profit organization!
