Weekly Roundup of the news on women and supportive services in job training programs.
By Rachel Linn
Job training can provide an entry into family-sustaining jobs and careers. Many women in job training programs, however, face obstacles to success. Wraparound services—such as child care assistance, access to public benefits, and transportation or housing assistance—can help adults, particularly those with caregiving responsibilities, to complete programs that will ultimately improve their economic standing.
November 8, 2015
Star Tribune: Progress has been slow but steady for women in construction
[Minnesotan Kimberly Brinkman’s] experiences were echoed in the recent survey by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. One common experience for almost all tradeswomen is being the only woman on the job site. When Brinkman attended the Women Build Nations Conference in Los Angeles last spring, she was brought to tears when she entered a room with over 1,000 tradeswomen. “What a powerful experience,” she said. “It is an act of courage and strength to work in an industry dominated by men,” she continued. “The stories inspired me … to change the status quo.”
November 4, 2015
Oregon Live: Oregon a national leader in recruiting women apprentices but challenges remain
A 2014 report praised Oregon as one of two states making exemplary efforts to improve diversity in the highway construction trades, notably by dedicating a portion of its federal highway funding for training and support services for women and minorities. Having the state pay for such things as child care expenses, mileage, tools and clothing makes it more likely that women can continue their apprenticeships, the report by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research found.
November 4, 2015
Jobs for the Future: Expanding the Path to Apprenticeships to Women and Minority Workers
Pre-apprenticeships are a critical entry point into a training and career pathway for numerous reasons. A good program has deep community ties, and can recruit women and minorities to consider nontraditional occupations and apprenticeship programs as a real option for their future. They teach these individuals the technical skills, contextualized literacy and numeracy skills, and soft skills they need to succeed on the job or in an apprenticeship. Finally, these programs are equipped provide the case management that connects their trainees to the resources they need to overcome their transportation, housing, child care, and other barriers to work.
November 4, 2015
303 Magazine: How Denver Women are Using Cooking to Get off Welfare
However, WOW also provides a slew of advanced training courses that can act as a solution to the cliff effect since students enrolled in courses—such as those for sous chef certification—have the potential to make $35K to $40K a year with complete benefits. Though these extensive training course are not the right fit for every student, WOW does boast a hefty repertoire of ancillary services that supports students at all levels. This includes help with everything from resume writing and interview training, to cognitive behavioral therapy, in-house emergency child care and safety planning for those in domestic violence situations. Some services are even offered throughout their lifetime.
November 4, 2015
San Francisco Chronicle Op-Ed: Apprenticeships offer debt-free job training
By Sean McGarvey, President of North America’s Building Trades Unions
Rather than reinvent the wheel, policymakers should turn to a training infrastructure that’s worked for decades. For a thriving economy, we need to double the number of American apprentices.
Citizens should press their governments and community-based organizations to partner with their local building trades unions to enact robust apprenticeship readiness programs— especially ones that give communities of color, women and veterans a leg up on the ladder to the middle class.
To view more of IWPR’s research, visit IWPR.org
