07/30/2001

Non-traditional Trades for Women

When Lynn attended a job fair at the Hartford Civic Center two years ago, she noticed a booth advertising a training program for women that helps them enter traditionally male trades -- electrician, plumber/pipefitter and HVAC technician. "That just doesn't happen," she told the woman in the booth.

Lynn explained that she had tried to get into an electrician's apprenticeship right out of high school, but all the positions went to guys. So she gave up on electricity, earned an associate's degree in food service, worked, married and raised three children.

The woman at the job fair urged her to revive her dream and apply for the 10-week training program, sponsored by the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) and paid for by the Department of Labor.

"Since the program's inception in 1998, approximately 100 women apply each year, and we accept 30," said Jackie Slamon, Manager of the Nontraditional Employment for Women Program. Requirements for applicants are: GED or high school diploma, dependable transportation and strong motivation to persist and succeed.

Participants complete 10 weeks of study at E.C. Goodwin Tech in New Britain and then apply for apprenticeships, either union (5 years) or non-union (4 years). Classes at Goodwin include mathematics, blueprint reading, tools & terminology, physical education to build upper body strength, and site visits to learn more about each of the trades.

"I'm in my second year as an electrician's apprentice," says Lynn, "and I love what I do. The guys are nice to me. They respect the fact that I'm doing this at my age."

Pay begins at 40 percent of journeyman's pay and increases 10 percent at the end of each year, reaching 80 percent at the end, where it stays until passage of the state licensing exam. Only then does the apprentice reach journeyman status and receive full pay. Apprentices also attend classes two nights a week throughout the five years. No wonder an applicant's level of motivation is so important!

Angela had worked for several years as a seamstress but couldn't seem to get ahead. "There were no growth possibilities as a seamstress," said Angela, who heard about the Nontraditional Employment for Women Program at the unemployment office. After taking a series of tests, she was encouraged to apply to several different unions for an apprenticeship. She was accepted by the laborers union (2 year apprenticeship) and the plumber/pipefitter union (5 year apprenticeship). She chose plumbing and pipefitting for the earning potential and the challenge.

After the 10 weeks at Goodwin Tech, Angela rolled up her sleeves and plunged into her apprenticeship. Evening classes teach the apprentices about steam heat, boilers, different drains for wastes, materials, welding and mathematics. "I am one of 17 women among 400 men in the five year apprenticeships," says Angela. She is part of a work crew on corporate jobs. All are protective of each other because of the potential dangers working with ladders, power tools and heavy equipment. They have to be careful in order to prevent injury.

"It's a great satisfaction learning a skill that not everyone knows," says Angela. "I'm very pleased and proud. My kids are proud of me, too."

Angela plans to take time when she can to talk with high school girls about nontraditional trades, to get them interested early on. "Otherwise they just go into culinary arts or hairdressing," she says. "They don't realize that the other trades accept women, too."

Now in its third year, the Nontraditional Employment Program has made a substantial impact. "This program has helped bring about an increase in female participation rates in apprenticeships in Connecticut," says Slamon.

The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) was established by the State Legislature in 1973. Seventeen appointed volunteer Commissioners join a staff and other volunteers to work to eliminate sex discrimination in Connecticut. "Sexual harassment on the job and discrimination against women who are pregnant represent half of the complaint we get each year," says Susan Hoover, Special Projects Director of PCSW. Other calls relate to concerns about insurance coverage, establishing credit and other small business-related questions. As part of its commitment to developing leadership among young women, PCSW co-sponsors events with other agencies, like the Girl Scouts, 4H and Girls, Inc, events that reach approximately 1000 girls each year.

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