Career Path
How To: Facebook Campaign for Oregon Women in Apprenticeship Day
It’s great that you are as excited as we are about National Women in Apprenticeship Day, Thursday November 5, 2015. Thank you for joining us to make the presence of women in apprenticeship known far and wide. We all know that apprenticeship itself is a very misunderstood concept and within that system, women are unseen. In order to bring this issue to the forefront, we have some tips for a Facebook post to contribute to the campaign and a national conversation. The tips below will give you a chance to let your friends and family know what you do, while connecting to other tradeswomen to create a larger impact!
Anatomy of the Facebook Campaign Post:
In order for you post to have the most effect, make sure that you specify for these posts to be ‘public’.
The Photo:
For this campaign, let’s show the world that women in apprenticeship work! Include a photo (or a video if you have it) of yourself on a job site or doing trades work. Here are some samples to inspire you!
The Text:
You should talk about your experience, your life, your apprenticeship. You want to let your networks know what you do and what that means to you! So, we aren’t crafting your post for you. However, here are some tidbits we are trying to highlight:
- Announce National Women in Apprenticeship Day, 11/5/15
- Explain that apprenticeship means you get an education and paid on the job training!
- Talk about getting a life-long career, not just a job
- Share your story, about how apprenticeship changed your life
- Let folks know, that women only comprise 3% of the trades, nationally
- You can support women in apprenticeship with a donation to your local tradeswomen organization, like Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. Donors who give a minimum of $10, today, will be eligible to be chosen to win 4 lower-level tickets to a Trailblazers game PLUS a signed jersey from a starter! Learn more at www.tradeswomen.net/donate.
The ‘Hashtag’ (or the connection to a larger campaign!):
Hashtags are an important and essential part of creating a Facebook campaign. When you tag organizations or include hashtags, the connected flurry of activity means that those posts get seen more frequently. Then more people share your post, and the impact grows! So, don’t forget to include some hashtags.
- Essential Hashtags:
- @OregonTradeswomenInc (In order to do this, make sure you already like our Facebook Page.)
- @TradeswomenTaskforce
- #WomenInApprenticeship
- Hashtags for Extra Lift:
- #Tradeswomen
- #NAW2015
- #GiveGuide
- #20PercentIn2020
- Hashtags to Bring Your Union/Employer into the Circle:
- Like your employer or local union and use – @EmployerFacebookAccountName
- Like your international union and use – @InternationalUnionFacebookAccountName
Take it to the next level!
Add the Twibbon look to your Facebook and/or Twitter Account:
Over the past couple of months, you may have seen people change their profile pictures to have an overlay image. Maybe it was for Planned Parenthood with a pink picture that said “#StandwithPP” or Domestic Violence Awareness with a purple tint and a ribbon. Well, we now have a Twibbon for Women in Apprenticeship! It is a white hardhat that will go over the top of your current profile picture on either Facebook or Twitter. To use this, go to Twibbon and search “Women in Apprenticeship”. Click on the link and allow it to access your Facebook or Twitter and the website will take care of the rest for you!
Bring the Conversation to Twitter:
For those of you who are active on Twitter already you can craft a short post ( I am a woman in apprenticeship). Here are some rough ideas for extra hashtags that you could use on twitter (in addition to those above!):
Oregon Governor Kate Brown, Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian, Oregon Apprenticeship and Training Division
USDOL, US Women’s Bureau, Labor Secretary Perez
Together, we can use National Women in Apprenticeship Day to really bring tradeswomen to the forefront!
Recap: Storytelling and Workshops
As most of you know, we started a new partnership this year with Back Fence PDX. B. Frayn Masters, Mindy Nettifee, and Liz Olufson saw the importance of tradeswomen’s stories and jumped right into creating a storytelling event for OTI! Most folks don’t think twice about how much work an event involves from planning to recruiting to donations and every other little detail. The dedicated staff at Back Fence were there for us, every single step of the way, it was the type of partnership a non-profit dreams about.
This fabulous partnership led to the development of an exciting, appealing event. Demand from the community was even higher than we had expected, Back Fence and OTI fielded dozens of calls from people trying to get tickets at the last minute. We wish that every single person could have joined us, and that is why we hope to replicate this event next year. If you missed the event, you can watch videos from each of the story tellers online:
Sarah Heidler
Laurie Suchan
Jen Netherwood
Bea Jenkins
Of course, the event would not have been such a success without the support of the tradeswomen who took a big risk to get on stage. We are so thankful to Sarah Heidler, Jen Netherwood, Laurie Suchan, Jodi Tillinghast, and Bea Jenkins. Hopefully, some of you are considering telling a story next year!
Friday night was a fun way to bond before we launched into the workshops for the Tradeswomen Leadership Institute. Tradeswomen volunteers, staff from AFSCME, the AFLCIO, and from LERC taught eight workshops for 47 women in attendance. We kicked off the morning with a tour of Benson High School focused on their trades and manufacturing training. Did you know that approximately every two years, the students at Benson design and build a house from the ground up?
Marilee McCall inspired us all with her keynote address. She opened her life to us and shared her path to becoming Mayor Pro-Tem in Woodland, Washington. Marilee was heartfelt in telling her personal journey. Now, she faces challenges regularly for being a woman in leadership but it doesn’t slow her down and she revealed her own secret for dealing with Naysayers. Thanks to Marilee (and Bea for the connection) for showing us one path to leadership.
None of this would have even been possible if it weren’t for the amazing women on our planning committee: Anjeanette Brown, Maddie Ettlin, Irais Gandarilla, Sarah Heidler, Kadence Jimenez, Bea Jenkins, Leigh Jenkins, and Jodi Tillinghast.
Thank you all so much and we look forward to an even more amazing Tradeswomen Leadership Institute in 2016!
CONGRATULATIONS, JEN!
OTI is so proud of Jen Netherwood who was announced as the “2015 Irwin Trade Professional” by Irwin Tools for her dedication and inspiring work in the trades!
Jen has been working as a carpenter in the construction industry for more than 11 years. She worked for Neil Kelley as a high end residential re-modeler for many years before deciding that she wanted to become more involved in shaping the community.
Soon after leaving her carpentry career at Neil Kelly, Jen was hired as an instructor for a pre-apprenticeship program in a women’s correctional facility. The program was designed to provide women the training and skills needed to pursue a living wage career once they are released.The program lost funding, but Jen was committed to continuing the work to help these women flourish. She approached the Bureau of Labor and Industries and collaborated with a local community college to work on developing the pre-apprenticeship program for the prison that wasn’t reliant on corporate support. She did this on her own time, unpaid, and from a selfless place where her primary interest was only to continue to provide hope for the women she had worked with in prison.
She continues to volunteer at the correctional facility doing information presentations for groups of women and talking to inmates individually. Jen also works with OTI as an instructor for our Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class, imparting her knowledge and skills to OTI’s pre-apprenticeship students. Clearly, Jen is a teacher and mentor at heart.
Congratulations, again, Jen!
Donor Spotlight: Victoria K. by Dennise M. Kowalczyk
I reached out to Victoria when she renewed her sustaining membership because I saw this comment on her donation:
“My daughter, Vanessa, is a recent graduate of the Pathways program. She was given a great opportunity to learn a trade and is looking forward to an apprenticeship in iron working. OTI provides a career opportunity to women that might not otherwise be possible. I saw her develop improved self-confidence and teamwork with her cohorts.”
The above photo was taken at Vanessa’s graduation celebration that I also had the opportunity to attend. It was my first experience in participating in Oregon Tradeswomen’s celebration of our training program participant’s success in graduating from our Trade and Apprenticeship Career Class. The event included stories, laughter, tears, and promises of established friendships.
Victoria began investing in OTI when her daughter, Vanessa, began investing in her own, new career path as a TAC Class student. When the session was over, Victoria renewed her support so OTI can prepare even more women in their pursuit of a living wage career as a tradeswoman and Vanessa gave back by donating a computer so OTI can help find those women work.
Join Victoria, Vanessa and all the supporters of Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. by making a donation today to ensure a bright future for women in the Portland area. It takes all of us to support these women as they embark on this new journey of independence. With your gift, you are helping women earn a living that will allow them to build a life for themselves and their loved ones. Women who not only live here, but fulfill their dreams like Vanessa did in finding a career that she loves and in which she thrives.
Thank you!
Dennise M. Kowalczyk – Development Director
Meet OTI TACC Graduate, Melissa Mazurek:
Melissa was just 22 years old when she enrolled in Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.’s Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class (TACC) – a pre-apprenticeship program preparing women for success in the building, construction, mechanical, and utility trades. She was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan which is on the west side of the state, not too far from Lake Michigan. Here is her story:
I left home at 18, and after traveling all over the country and working seasonal jobs in Montana, I met my current partner, and about 3 and a half years ago, by chance, ended up staying in Portland.
Before starting my training at OTI last year, I was unemployed. I worked a few odd jobs here and there .. farmer’s markets, bakeries, and did farm work in Montana each year. I was homeless off and on. A lot of it had to do with not being satisfied with where I was and what I was doing. I was moving around too much and ended up completely broke more often than not. The seasonal farm work I had done in Montana each year provided me with a little bit of savings, but I couldn’t find a full time job that paid well and held my interest. OTI’s pre-apprenticeship program and the people I met while going through the class helped me realize that the jobs I had dreamed about being able to get were actually possible.
I learned about OTI’s class from a couple of friends who told me about either going through the program or having a partner who did. I wasn’t sure if I was going to go through with it at first. It seemed so intimidating to walk into a classroom again after years of avoiding it to learn something I was completely unfamiliar with. I was a little afraid of failing (isn’t everyone?), and thought, ‘What if I do this and it doesn’t work out either?‘ Luckily, I have some people in my life who are very supportive, and they talked me into it. I’m pretty damn glad they did.
During my time with OTI, the biggest thing I noticed were the changes within myself. I felt timid and unsure about the class and everything when I started. At the end, everything had completely changed. My classmates and instructors had gotten me so excited about the new opportunities that lay ahead, and I felt more confident and stronger than ever. I finally had some idea of where I wanted my work/career to go. Plus, we did all those killer fitness training work outs, and after getting through those, I think we all felt like we could accomplish anything!
I started at Gunderson, LLC, a part of the Greenbrier Companies. Currently, I’m a fitter welder. When I began training in September of 2014, they started me out at $12.60 an hour. After a month of training and passing some weld tests, they bumped me up to $16.80 an hour, and I am now earning $18.65 an hour! And I will receive another raise after I am here for a year.
The best thing about welding is how extremely satisfying it feels to lay out beautiful, strong welds. It’s a really fun trade! I’m also slightly competitive and work in a pretty fast paced, production environment, so I like to time myself and see what I can do to be faster and still pump out high quality parts. I really love the fitting aspect of it too, all the measuring and putting things perfectly in place. I’ve always liked detailed jobs. At Gunderson, we get to make parts for train cars/ whole train cars, and I’m sort of a nerd for trains, so it’s cool to be a part of producing them.
Moving ahead, I’d really like to learn more welding processes, get some certifications, and explore other areas of production. I’m at the very beginning of this journey and know I still have a lot to learn. In the back of my mind I’ve always wanted to work for myself, so that’s also something I’d like to work up to over the next few years.
Two years ago, I would have never imagined being able to accomplish what I have in the past year. It’s crazy how much has happened! OTI really gave me a lot of confidence and is such a valuable resource and support system. I honestly don’t think I could have done all of this so quickly on my own and am incredibly grateful for what OTI has taught me and helped me with.
Whether it was relearning my shop math, helping me find connections to learn about welding, or literally sending my resume to an employer and helping me get an interview, OTI has been there. Things felt a little hopeless before I went through the pre-apprenticeship program. Now I have a job that I love, my own apartment and a little extra income to use to enjoy doing things I couldn’t be doing otherwise. It’s awesome!
If I were to give any advice to other women considering pursing an apprenticeship and a career in the trades is to do it! Plain and simple. Some days are really going to suck and you might want to quit, while others are exhilarating and fun. It can be frustrating, but it’s totally worth it in the end. What you learn and what you challenge yourself to do will only make you stronger.
Oh, and I would also recommend that you get lots of sleep, eat well, and exercise often! Saying please, thank you and staying calm in tough work situations will get you a long way with all of your coworkers. Also, never be afraid to ask for help, it shows that you have the desire and will to learn.
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Check out the Public Service Announcement Bank of America developed about OTI’s Women in Metals & Manufacturing program which features Melissa!
Published: Friday, August 7, 2015
Call to Action: Tell Congress You Support Funding WANTO
The Women in Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Occupations (WANTO) Act is a small pool of money that organizations like Oregon Tradeswomen rely on to run pre-apprenticeship classes for women. WANTO appropriations amounted to less than $2 million over the last two years, but the program’s impact on women’s economic security is colossal. With the support of this crucial funding source, WANTO grantees (including Oregon Tradeswomen) have helped thousands of women access meaningful careers in male-dominated industries with quality, family-supporting wages. Regions where WANTO-funded organizations work have more than twice the national average of women employed in construction trades. WANTO works!
Oregon Tradeswomen needs your help: The federal budget under currently under consideration by Congress provides zero dollars for WANTO. But with your help, we can change that and get WANTO back in the budget. We need your voice for our message to be heard in Congress.
The best way to support Oregon Tradeswomen’s efforts to keep WANTO alive is to contact your elected representatives and tell them how vital WANTO is to women in the trades. We’ve made it easy – you can write to your representative with the simple template linked below. (Make sure to read through and personalize your message.) Support tradeswomen, support OTI, and support our sister organizations around the nation. Tell Congress that programs that work should be expanded, not cut out of the budget. Fund WANTO, WANTO works!
Oregon Tradeswomen, Women’s Bureau Hold Roundtable on Female Retention in Trades
From top left: Steve Simms, Lili Hoag, Larry S. Williams, John Gardener, Connie Ashbrook, Betty Lock, Paloma Sparks, Meghan Moyer, Pat Daniels, Tiffany Thompson, Sara Gourley
Portland-region workforce development organizations were honored to host Women’s Bureau Region X Regional Administrator Betty Lock this week for a roundtable discussion on retention of women in trades apprenticeships. The group came together to discuss a persistent and vexing problem in the construction industry: A full 65 percent of women fail to complete their apprenticeships, a rate substantially higher than men’s termination rate of 35 percent.
The robust discussion was informed by experts in the field from the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, Worksystems, Inc., the Northwest College of Construction, Constructing Hope, Family Forward Oregon, and Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., who convened the meeting. Among the factors that contribute to the disparity in retention rates discussed by the group were jobsites and employers that remain hostile toward women, the fact that tradeswomen are dispatched to fewer work hours than their male apprentice counterparts, and the continued lack of supportive services that are tailored to the specific needs of workers in the construction industry.
Betty Lock hears from participants about challenges faced by female apprentices in the trades
Solutions offered by the group included emphasizing accountability and enforcement on projects that fail to meet diversity hiring targets, working with contractors and employers to stimulate demand for female workers, and tailoring supportive services to suit women working in the industry that have children. Many in attendance emphasized the importance of networking, noting that women and men of color are not being mentored into a network that guarantees them more access to the jobs that help them succeed in apprenticeship. Oregon Tradeswomen’s Advocacy Program Manager also offered a summary of its work on the Green Dot bystander intervention program, which could be employed on construction jobsites to reduce harassment of female and minority workers.
We look forward to continuing this discussion with our regional partners and the Department of Labor, as well as working together to refine and implement the best of these strategies in the future. Oregon Tradeswomen wishes to thank our regional partners, Betty Lock, and the Women’s Bureau for their commitment to women in the trades and for coming together to discuss this critical issue!
Meet OTI Graduate, Catherine Rehm
OTI received a wonderful email from Catherine updating us on her job and how well life was progressing for her, and we were so inspired, we asked her to share a little more about her OTI experience. Thank you, Catherine, and congratulations on finding such a rewarding new path!
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I’d heard about Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI) some years ago, maybe in 2010. At that time, I was working as a bartender in the morning 7:00 am to 2:30 pm. It was a well-known dive bar near the Willamette so we had lots of longshoremen and one woman who always come in. They were really down to earth and great tippers and the subject of OTI came up randomly. I looked in to it at the time, but didn’t feel I could commit to the schedule of OTI’s program. But the idea was stored away for future reference.
I had sort of been thinking about a career in the trades before I heard about OTI’s program. I was aware of the income potential – it definitely piqued my curiosity – but when I followed the thought through to the logical outcome – and considering my background and experience – I didn’t see a way forward for myself at that time.
Just before I actually started OTI’s Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class (TACC), I was trying to make the best of a challenging and low-paying job. I was also suffering through finishing and paying for my college degree and coming to terms with the fact that even getting my diploma wasn’t going to really help me reach my goals professionally in the science world.
The TAC Class was physically challenging. I liked building stuff and learning about different tools. It opened my eyes to a lot of things I hadn’t thought about before: the construction of stuff; how things are put together.
“…OTI fostered an environment of growth and so I found a lot of strengths I didn’t necessarily realize I had within me…”
It was inspirational for me too. Construction skills are widely applicable and problem solving skills are often necessary. It was somewhat like a boot camp. I had my fair share of challenges with interpersonal stuff with some of the other personalities, but OTI fostered an environment of growth and so I found a lot of strengths I didn’t necessarily realize I had within me; and I plugged through. Plus, I had some really awesome positive cohorts slugging through their own stuff at my side and it helped ease growing pains. Simply put though, the Neel sisters and Donna are my true heroes at OTI. Plus a shout out to their supporters.
I landed my interview with my current employer the day after I graduated from OTI and I was hired! I am now a welder/fitter. I love it. I want to continue down this path and I’m seeking to advance my career in this field, perhaps as a certified welding inspector. My employer has programs in place to supplement the cost of additional education and classes/workshops pertaining to knowledge and skill enhancement within my field. Being an OTI alumni totally opened this door and gave me a “solid in” on getting the job.
“Graduating has built a confidence in me and a belief that I can thrive. Not just plod along, but excel. “
There’s a sisterhood and a camaraderie between OTI alums as well as other women in the trades. There aren’t that many of us and we realize that it’s good to have each-others’ backs…and bring others in. Graduating has built a confidence in me and a belief that I can thrive. Not just plod along, but excel. OTI helped me find a strength that I didn’t really see in myself before; they gave me permission to be a bad-ass; to bring out my potential, and to really shine.
I’m now making more money than I’ve ever made before. My partner helped support me getting through the program and now I’m able to do that in turn for him as he looks to reinvent himself. I have a career, where I didn’t before, in a field I would have never imagined myself in but that suits me better than anything I could have imagined. I get to use my problem-solving skills, my high energy level, intellect, people skills, kindness and attention to detail and there are many opportunities for advancement in this field. I actually love going to work! Oh, and I don’t need a gym membership! I’m totally ripped now just from working! It’s putting to use my aptitude for navigating the male-dominated field that I’m in. With confidence, individuality and security.
My new career is not without challenges, but finding an environment where you can be your best self that best suits your skill set is what you should aim for. (Read up on wolves. Pack mentality. The Yin and the Yang too if you want.) If you’ve grown up with brothers, then you know how it is. They’re going to tease you to death. But pretty much to test your mettle. They’re going to be dudes. They’re going to be quiet and standoffish until they get a baseline of trust….literally…you’re not making sudden movements. A little bit of levity goes a long way with the boys. Notice their efforts too. There is a subtlety between playfulness and sniping. There’s a time to shrug it off and a time to take a stand. And if you must take a stand, always go through proper channels. Make sure your “sh*t don’t stink” and bring your BEST game because they’re ALL watching you!!!
OTI’s Executive Director and Board Chair on Community Hotline!
Thank you to Monica Weitzel at Community Hotline for hosting Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.’s Executive Director, Connie Ashbrook and Board Chair, Irais Gandarilla on the show May 13th!
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