OTI Awarded U.S. Department of Labor Grant for Women in Apprenticeship

 

OTI Staff

Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. Staff Members

Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI) is proud to announce that on June 14, 2016, we were awarded a Women in Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Occupations (WANTO) grant to continue our work connecting women with high wage, high skill trades careers through registered apprenticeship.

“Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. is honored to work with our partners, Seattle-based Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Employment for Women and Oakland, California-based Tradeswomen Inc. through the Women in Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Occupations program,’’ said Connie Ashbrook, OTI’s Executive Director.  “Many women in our communities are passionately interested in working in the construction, manufacturing and utility trades, but don’t know where to get started.  Our joint efforts to provide women with the education, skills, and connections they need support their access to and success in family-supporting trades careers, while at the same time helping apprenticeship programs and employers diversify their workforces.”

The $650,000 will be awarded over the course of two years. It will fund direct technical assistance work in the Portland, Seattle, and Oakland metropolitan regions, as well as outreach throughout the Western United States.

Under our prior WANTO grant, OTI was able to launch the Western Resources Center for Women in Apprenticeship website which supplements our technical assistance efforts and outreach to western apprenticeship programs.

With the support of the U.S. Department of Labor, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue this work and build on our partnerships with ANEW, Tradeswomen, Inc., and registered apprenticeship stakeholders in the western region.

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Introducing the Western Resources Center for Women in Apprenticeship

WIAlogo2Along with our partners Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Employment for Women (ANEW, based in Washington), and Oakland, California-based Tradeswomen, Inc., we are delighted to announce the launch of the new Western Resources Center for Women in Apprenticeship. The unveiling of our jointly developed technical assistance website marks the conclusion of two years’ efforts to create online resources for industry stakeholders and tradeswomen under the federal Women in Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Occupations (WANTO) program.

The Western Resources Center (WRC) was created to serve three primary audiences in the Western US:   1) apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship program training providers, 2) women and girls interested in trades careers, and 3) current tradeswomen and female apprentices.

Resources for Training Providers:

  • Guides and templates for improving and expanding outreach to and recruitment of women to trades careers
  • Retention resources to help training providers support women’s long term success in apprenticeship
  • Free downloadable pre-apprenticeship curriculum based on Oregon Tradeswomen’s successful Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class
  • Creative Commons library of high quality, free images of real tradeswomen for use in recruitment materials
  • Data collection guides and tracking plans

Information for Women & Girls Interested in Trades Careers:

  • Guide to types of skilled trade careers
  • A video gallery for women and girls to learn directly from tradeswomen what various trades careers entail
  • An interactive map demonstrating where women can learn more about apprenticeship in each of the 13 Western states
  • Links to tradeswomen’s organizations and social media communities

Resources for Tradeswomen:

  • A Know-Your-Rights guide to tradeswomen’s legal rights on the job and in apprenticeship
  • Links to tradeswomen’s communities and advocacy organizations
  • Information about the annual Women Build Nations Conference and other opportunities for tradeswomen

We’re proud to officially debut this work and hope it will be as useful to our community as it was rewarding to create.  We welcome your feedback, constructive criticism, contributions, and most of all we welcome your help sharing this work with your friends and colleagues. Please help us get the word out about these resources. Bring some printouts to a meeting, share the page on Facebook, or send an email to your colleagues.

Thanks for supporting women in apprenticeship and we hope to hear from you about the new resources!

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OTI at the United State of Women Summit

The United State of Women Profile PhotoWe are so proud to represent tradeswomen at the United State of Women Summit happening in Washington, DC starting June 14, 2016. The summit is a collaboration of the White House Council on Women and Girls, the Department of Labor, the Aspen Institute, and Civic Nation. The Summit is a convening of women leaders who will together work to address gender equity in the areas of health and wellness, educational opportunity, violence against women, entrepreneurship and innovation, leadership and civic engagement, and economic opportunity.

OTI’s Executive Director, Connie Ashbrook, will join a delegation of 35 tradeswomen from around the country, along with First Lady Michelle Obama, Tina Fey, Oprah, and thousands of other women all working toward lifting up women and our nation.  Watch the live stream Tuesday, June 14th, 2016 if you’d like to take it in!

While at the Summit, Connie will be supporting the National Taskforce on Tradeswomen’s Issues policy platform by speaking with other attendees about our priorities, which include advocating for:

  • Releasing the new apprenticeship EEO regulations, and ensuring that they contain strong language supporting increasing the number of women in apprenticeship
  • Dedicated, specific federal funding through WANTO that directly supports tradeswomen
  • Increased support for existing workforce hiring goals through compliance efforts and sustainable technical assistance
  • A strengthened pipeline between schools and apprenticeship that has specific goals for female participation

You can follow the conference online and through social media.  Take the pledge to work for gender equity in whatever you do best, and make sure to support your sisters at the #StateOfWomen conference by using the #tradeswomen hashtag when you post!

Green Your Garden with Greywater

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Have you ever thought about diverting used sink and shower water to your yard, to feed your garden? As water rates escalate and summer droughts become more commonplace, Northwesterners need to use water more efficiently.

If you want a beautiful and productive landscape that uses very little water, attend one or two August 2016 workshops in Portland to learn about low-cost DIY greywater systems that you can implement to conserve water and enhance your home landscape.

Greywater Action, in partnership with Depave, Recode, Oregon Tradeswomen,and East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District are hosting two workshops for Portland area residents interested in implementing greywater systems at home. The workshops will be taught by greywater-expert Laura Allen who is a founding member of Greywater Action and author of The Water-Wise Home. Laura will share her tips on conserving water and saving money with effective and inexpensive greywater solutions.

Workshop 1, August 13 from 9:30a-12:30p Greywater 101: The basics of greywater reuse in this FREE workshop. Learn more and register here: http://greywateraction.org/event/green-garden-greywater-free-portland/

Workshop 2, August 20 from 11a-4:30p Hands-On Greywater Installation: Learn how to install a simple laundry-to-landscape system and see a branched drain system from a shower up close in a Portland backyard. Learn more and register for workshop 2 here: http://greywateraction.org/event/hands-greywater-installation-workshop-portland/

Registration is open now to residents of Multnomah County, with a wait list for residents of surrounding communities to fill remaining spaces after June 15.