Rochelle Sadler received a birthday gift this year that could not be more fitting for a dedicated tradeswoman.

And true to form, her modesty prevents her from making a big deal out of it.

“I journeyed out on my birthday, on June 25,” said Sadler, who is employed by Jacobs Heating & Air Conditioning as a sheet metal technician. “I finally accomplished something by age 30, whether it’s a huge accomplishment or not.”

Earning journey status in any trade is a big deal. But not only did Sadler reach a milestone in own her career, in earning that distinction she also became the first African-American woman ever in Oregon to reach that status in the sheet metal trade.

“I feel proud. It’s a stupid word, but I do know the history of black people in the trades and how they fought to be even welders,” Sadler said. “They put black people through the gauntlet; just the history, the fight that was fought to even do the worst jobs, I guess this is the result of that.”

Sara Brady is the director of apprenticeships for the Portland-based Associated Builders and Contractors‘ Pacific Northwest Chapter. She watched firsthand as Sadler earned her journey card the old-fashioned way through the ABC’s sheet metal apprenticeship program.

“She’s amazing,” Brady said. “She struggled at first, and it was hard. She had a lot of life happen, and she worked harder than a lot of people I’ve seen go through her apprenticeship.”

Sadler’s journey began over five years ago, back in the days when she was struggling to get by each month. She was receiving public benefits, including food stamps, and had no idea where to turn for a fulfilling work experience, let alone a career.

“I was on food stamps, so they make you go to the job center,” she said. “I didn’t know what skills I had, and I jokingly said I wanted to be an electrician.”

That offhand remark ultimately led her to discover Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. and that group’s pre-apprenticeship course for prospective trade workers.

“I went through the pre-apprenticeship program and I essentially chose sheet metal because all the other women were choosing carpentry,” she said. “I thought I’d go off the beaten path, but honestly, I didn’t know what sheet metal was.”

After not working steadily for the past three years, however, the idea of an apprenticeship had a strong appeal for Sadler. And after moving to Oregon from St. Paul, Minnesota, she needed to make her own way in the world.

“I didn’t even know what an apprenticeship was,” she said. “I didn’t even know this is how things work, and I wish they’d introduce this to the schools more because parents aren’t teaching.”

James Reyes, the new director of education at the Northwest College of Construction, said Sadler’s experience is not unusual among those who are attracted to the college’s various apprenticeship programs.

“The average age of people in our apprenticeships is much higher than you think it is,” Reyes said. “There are a lot who go to community college or maybe to university, and they’ll get so far in debt before they figure out we’re around and they apply. And once they do they realize they’re making more money than they can with a degree. They don’t find that right out of high school with the college track.”

Sadler’s own experience sticks with her, mainly because it mirrors Reyes’ description.

“My dad always told me to become a doctor, but he didn’t lay out the plan of how I’m supposed to do that,” she said. “And that angers me, because how else would I know how to do it? So, I guess just even seeing women doing sheet metal or whatever, I think that lets people know it’s possible.”

Katrina Cloud, director of student services and apprenticeships at the Northwest College of Construction, said there are two main things the industry can do to help move its recruitment efforts out of the current paradigm.

“One is definitely getting the high school counselors and teachers involved,” Cloud said. “They’re such good advocates, and that’s on everybody’s radar now. The other half of that is the employment office and WorkSource Oregon.”

Cloud said that the state could greatly increase its efforts to expose job seekers to the trades using WorkSource Oregon, which serves the unemployed.

“It would be great to see some of those folks in places that touch a lot of people to be able to share a wide variety of opportunities with them, including apprenticeships in general,” she said. “A lot of these people who are looking for something just haven’t found the right thing yet.”

Marcy Huxtable, commercial division manager for Jacobs Heating & Air Conditioning, hired Sadler and watched as she finished her apprenticeship through the ABC and Northwest College of Construction. Huxtable is on the ABC’s apprentice board and had already seen what Sadler was capable of.

“I had known her and her name had been kicked around,” Huxtable said. “So she came back and went to work through another company, but she came here and applied and I just really liked her and thought she had the potential. So we encouraged her to come over here and finish her schooling.”

She eventually left Milwaukie firm HVAC Inc., dabbled in architectural sheet metal work and finally joined Jacobs.

Most recently, Sadler and her fellow Jacobs’ employees have been installing heating and air conditioning at the Vancouver Apartments project in Northeast Portland being built by general contractor Marathon Construction Services of Wilsonville. The two-building project features heating and air conditioning ductwork throughout both structures, which has meant a lengthy stay onsite for Jacobs. It has also allowed Marathon site superintendent Jay Coalman to get to know the trade workers swarming his job site.

“She’s a great gal,” Coalman said, describing Sadler’s work as outstanding.

With feedback like that, Sadler’s is likely to generate plenty of momentum as she progresses in her career.

“I like to keep my options open,” she said. “I’m using the job I’m at right now to learn as much as possible.”

Sadler freely admits she also is looking ahead with an eye on advancement.

“My main goal is to get my feet in the mud,” she said. “I know a lot of women who are project managers and they’ve never been in the field and there’s a lot of disconnect there, so I want to eventually get out of the field and into project management.”

The keys to doing just, she added, are personality and communication.

“I think that there are a lot of women who could do the jobs physically,” she said. “But then the personal or relationship aspects of coworkers are where a lot of women fail.”

For Brady, Sadler’s accomplishments are a victory not only for women and minorities, but the power of perseverance.

“We were just excited,” Brady said. “There’s such a push to get women and minorities into the program and she’s such a cool person anyhow and worked so hard to do it, and she did it. She worked hard, she had a take a leave, and a lot of people, when they do that, they don’t come back and finish.”

“I feel like people assume I can’t do it,” Sadler added. “I don’t feel pressure to prove it, but I get irritated; let me show you I can do that.”

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