Alaskan women get training in trades

A program in Alaska which trains women in the construction trades just received an award from the US Dept. of Labor. (Now if we could only get them to continue reporting on women’s wages…but that’s a gripe for another day.)
Alaska Works Partnership Inc. received the 2004 Exemplary Public Interest Contributions Award from the DOL for efforts to promote equal-employment opportunities:
The program began in summer 2003 with a program that included 15 women. For five weeks, they were given hands-on experience and exposure to various construction trades, including operating, electrical, plumbing, pipe fitting, sheet metal and carpentry.
…Beginning later this spring, the program will conduct training in Anchorage. Fifty-one women attended the first orientation for the Anchorage program. Another 41 are expected this week for a second orientation.
Love it. Nontraditional employment for women is something that isn’t often discussed in feminism, but it’s a necessary workplace issue. Construction and other nontrad jobs pay great money and have flexible schedules, but women are often steered away from them.
Check out Legal Momentum’s Women Rebuild Program and Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) for more.