1. Women’s Pathways to the Green Economy
CAMILLE CORMIER
Wider Opportunities for Women
September 13, 2010

2. The Boost From Construction Wages
Single mother with one preschooler needs
$24,139 to make ends meet, WOW’s national median Self-Sufficiency Standard in 2007.
60% of such women had income below the national median.
2007 BLS average annual construction salaries:
Laborers -- $30,950
HVAC - Refrigeration, Mechanics and Installers -- $40,630
Insulation workers -- $41,480
Plumbers, Pipefitters, Steamfitters -- $48, 442
Electricians -- $48,100

3. WOW DC area construction training
Washington Area Women in the Trades: – 2009
WOW/YWCA/LOCAL AFL-CIO; basic pre-apprenticeship training
Building Futures: 2009 – 2011
WOW/Local AFL-CIO/Covenant House; co-ed; 6-wk basic pre-apprenticeship training; hourly training stipend pipeline to union RAPs, contractors
Same ARRA/DOT funding stream as DHS/USCG mega-project
Green job placements: summer school retrofitters; Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority
Fitness training, case management support to women

4. Building Futures Challenges
Economic Downturn – Many skilled workers “on the bench,” new job creation still lags
Not a Union Town – 20% of area contractors are union;
Disconnect among DC/Suburban Maryland and Virginia;
Disconnected workforce/economic development systems;
Uneven local compliance monitoring: First Source Local Hiring Stipulation, RAPs, PLAs, WIA Training Vendors
High entrance requirements for urban women: High school diploma/GED, strong math skills, drivers’ license, childcare

5. WOW/Building Futures Opportunities
DC Green Building Act of 2006/Clean & Affordable Energy Act of 2008
Requires environmental retrofits to all commercial/public buildings by December 2012
LEED standards for new construction in
Annual benchmarks of energy use posted online
Amends Green Bldg. Act,
$4 Billion potential revenue for energy retrofits in certain major US metro areas; includes DC (Jigar Shah, Carbon War Room)
DC to pilot Sustainable Energy Utility
(contractor/training provider hub for contracts, hiring, training and innovation green energy practices)

6. Best Practices in Green/NTO Training for Women
Invest in Good Job Developers
Offer Training Stipends
Support Groups (“Saving Our Sisters”)
Individual post-graduation mentoring
Arrange “hands-on” green training
volunteer rehabs, internships, supported employment
Green career education/exposure for women and girls
(WOW’s “Connections to Careers,” DCMASSC Calculator – green careers under construction)