91视频

After attending the previous Women in Trades Career Fair, high school senior Serena Ellison was eager to return this year.

鈥淚 love it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t makes you feel like you can do anything.鈥�

Ellison, 17, and some of her classmates from Phoenix Charter School in Roseburg were at the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center on Friday to attend the annual fair hosted by Oregon Tradeswomen Inc.

鈥淲e’ve done bakes sales, car washes, auctions 鈥� a lot around the community 鈥� for this,鈥� she said.

The Phoenix Charter School students were among approximately 1,400 Oregon or Southwest Washington middle school or high school students who participated in this year’s event geared to draw more women into construction and other trades. The three-day fair offered hands-on activities and workshops for different age groups. On Thursday, middle school students got a taste of various trades, including carpentry, electrical and ironwork, followed by high school students on Friday. The fair was open to the general public on Saturday.

This year’s fair featured more than 35 active workshops on trades such as roofing, plumbing and welding; many were taught by women working in those trades, said Katie Yablonsky, Building Girls program manager with Oregon Tradeswomen. The aim is to show women and girls the range of career opportunities available to them in the trades, she said.

鈥淗opefully, they’ll leave feeling really empowered,鈥� Yablonsky said. 鈥淭his fair is extremely important in exposing girls and women to these careers. These careers are not only high wage; women can be really successful in them.鈥�

Despite this fact, women remain underrepresented in the construction workforce, she said. The event gives young women opportunities to learn about the rewards of a career in the building industry, Yablonsky said.

鈥淐onstruction is one of the only fields where women are not working on an equitable level,鈥� she said.

Tawny Sayers with the Northwest Laborers-Employers Training Trust Fund apprenticeship program in Kingston, Wash., participated to in the fair to share with the next generation her love of working in the trades.

鈥淲e’ve got to spread the word to the young women, and young men, that there are great careers in construction out there,鈥� she said, and 鈥渢hat you don’t have to go to college to make a good living.鈥�

Sayers said she’s glad she discovered the joys of working in construction.

鈥淲hat I really enjoyed was playing in the mud,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 got paid good money to do it.鈥�

Ellison said trying her hand at different trades on Friday encouraged her to consider pursuing a construction career.

鈥淚 want to go into construction because it’s just really interesting,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou get more hands-on 鈥� I’ve always been kind of interested, and coming here you actually learn how it is.鈥�

Her Phoenix Charter School classmate, Shyla Young, 17, said the fair gave her a whole new perspective on a potential career path.

鈥淎t first I was going to do beauty school, but learning about all this makes it seem more fun than beauty school,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 didn’t think that many girls did the job so it’s really inspiring I can do it too.鈥�