1. RECRUITING, SCREENING AND PLACING WOMEN IN HIGHWAY CAREERS Presented by Dawn Jones Training Manager, Videographer Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. Made by Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. in partnership with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries and the Oregon Department of Transportation www.tradeswomen.net

2. Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (or OTI) is a non-profit dedicated to promoting the success of women in the trades through education, leadership and mentorship.

3. Created to help women and minorities overcome barriers Promote economic, gender and racial justice through living wage careers Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.

4. Occupational Segregation Occupation% Female Avg. Wages Firefighter4.8%$24.25 Construction Trades 3% $22.71 (PDX area) Mechanic1.6%$19.07 Truck Driver8.9%$17.72 Occupation% FemaleAvg. Wages Secretary96.1%$15.40 Receptionist93.6%$12.57 Waitress73.2%$9.77 Cashier75.5%$9 Traditional Jobs for Women Non-Traditional Jobs for Women Nontraditional occupations are those in which women comprise 25 percent or less of total employed. National stats: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Annual Averages 2008. Portland area stats: May 2008 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA We want to create better access to living-wage careers.

5. Our Programs Pathways, our pre- apprenticeship program Building Girls, our youth program TOOLS our advocacy program

6. The Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class TACC is a state- certified, official pre-apprenticeship for self-identified women Class is 7 weeks We accept women from all around the state.

7. Women in Trades Career Fair Annual career fair encouraging women and girls to explore high-skill, living wage careers in the construction trades.

9. Why work in construction? Satisfaction of Building Living Wages and Benefits Empowerment Physical Work

10. Thing You Should Know About Working Outside Hard Physical Labor TravelLay Offs

11. Apprenticeship Earn while you learn through on-the-job training Classroom instruction As you progress and fulfill the requirements of your apprenticeship, you receive wage raises until you complete or “journey out.”

12. Apprenticeship Each program has their own requirements so find out what they’re looking for and do those things. Typically there is an application and interview Some programs have a math or physical test as well. A hopeful performs the plank task during the laborer’s pre-construction training/evaluation.

13. Apprenticeship After the interview, many programs give you a score which places you in a specific order on a list called the Pool of Eligibles (not yet apprentices) Depending on how that list moves, you are then moved onto the list of Out of Work Apprentices before you can move up and go out to work. The Cement Mason training center.

14. Why Pre-Apprenticeship Going through a pre- apprenticeship program can help prepare you for a trade. Typically these organizations understand how to prepare someone for what can be a very competitive application process involving multiple steps over time.

15. Why Pre-Apprenticeship Programs offer hands-on training, tool identification, construction math, resumé creation, interviewing practice, and more. Students also get a peer group, counseling and a much better understanding of the trade.

16. Career Pathways Women of all kinds are successful in highway careers. There are multiple pathways to obtain these jobs.

17. CAREER PATHWAYS AJ Banuelos, Laborer Trade: Laborer Apprentice Age: 34 Current Wage: $20.15 Starting wage: $15.63 Starting date: February 2011 Most made before construction: $12/hr at Target 14: First job, putting up posters for the circus for $6/hr 17: Had daughter Vanessa 24: Had son Arturo 31: Moved to Oregon from California 32: Had son Thomas 32: Started Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc.‘s Class 33: Became Laborer Apprentice 2/17/11, and started working five days later 33: Received first raise to $17.63/hr, and sent daughter to Building Girls Summer Camp 34: Worked as only female on crew, and received another raise, to $20.15/hr AJ is pleased to note that within one year of working, she is completely self- sufficient, no longer relying on family or the state for help. She is proud to have laid the rails for the streetcar, and excited to have watched the streetcar in action, moving seamlessly along the track.

18. CAREER PATHWAYS Kat Lakey, Ironworker Trade: Journeyman Ironworker Age: 32 Current Wage: $32.46 Starting wage: $19.77 Age started: 28 Highest wage prior to Ironwork: $13/hr at a call center 15: First job as a courtesy clerk at Safeway 20: Moved to California and worked doing data entry for the LA school district 25: Hitchhiked all around before landscaping in Portland 26: Walked through OTI’s doors and started the TAC Class 28: Started her career as an Ironworker 30: Realized she can do more in her trade than grown men with 25 years’ experience 32: Journeyed out as an Ironworker Kat is one of only six female Journeyman Ironworkers in all of Oregon and SW Washington. She loves her job, and is happy to have fulfilled her childhood dream of being like her dad: Proud, strong, and able to do anything. Kat is proud of the fact that she can hang upside down off a beam 125 feet in the air, swinging an eight-pound beater.

19. Career Pathways Sometimes there are multiple steps involved to obtain these careers: Taking a pre-apprenticeship Taking a math class Taking a trade-specific class Getting entry-level work experience Building strength Waiting on a list

20. Women in Construction The bottom line is that women want and can do this work. But sometimes they haven’t considered it as a career option. Or they don’t know how to access these careers. Women need your help and guidance to understand that they can do this work and how to get proper training.

21. How to Screen Candidates are more likely to be successful if they: Have physical work or volunteer history Demonstrate an ability to be punctual Have a consistent work history indicating employability/stability Photo courtesy of the BOLI-ODOT Highway Construction Workforce Development Program.

22. Non-Issues A legal history is less of an issue for many construction employers. You don’t need a college degree to earn good money in a trade and you can earn an associates degree in some programs. Though some trades require a certain math level, many trades don’t and will teach you what you need to know. Photo courtesy of the BOLI-ODOT Highway Construction Workforce Development Program.

23. Thank You. Photo courtesy of the BOLI-ODOT Highway Construction Workforce Development Program.