91��Ƶ

Left to right: Ashley Lair, Sage Flowers, Kate Hibbs (OTW trainer), Carol Murray (OTW trainer), Dahlana Antunez, Lorena LaBarbera and Lorina Surface. All photos courtesy of AGC Oregon-Columbia chapter.

Hands-On Future

Oregon Tradeswomen launches rural pre-apprenticeship program

By Melody Finnemore
91��Ƶ Contributor
Oregon Tradeswomen has long had a goal to expand its pre-apprenticeship training and services across the state. It has come closer to meeting that goal by piloting a rural training program to recruit more women and non-binary people into the Construction Craft Laborer trade.

In partnership with the Oregon Laborers Training and Apprenticeship, Oregon Tradeswomen utilized funding from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration through the State Apprenticeship Expansion, Equity and Innovation Grant to establish the pilot program.

The pilot took place in Redmond in the fall of 2019 and its 15 participants graduated Sept. 6, 2019. The most recent class was held March 28-April 28, 2022, and had six participants. The goal ultimately is for each class to have 25 participants in underserved communities.

Like its eight-week Trades and Apprenticeship Career Class (TACC), the Laborer’s Rural TACC is a 192-hour BOLI-certified pre-apprenticeship. However, the Laborer’s Rural TACC was condensed into five weeks with a focus on the Laborer trade.

Pre-apprentices spent the first few weeks building a foundation of skills through tool assessments, fitness conditioning and construction math. During the third week, the Oregon Laborers led a Laborer’s boot camp where class participants applied their new construction skills on hands-on projects such as framing and then deconstructing an 8-foot-by-8-foot wall.

Hands-on training continued through the end of the program with students working on projects like building benches for the Warm Springs Reservation assisted living facility, the High Lookee Lodge. With several participants belonging to the Warm Springs community, there was a profound sense of pride in using their new skills to give back, according to Oregon Tradeswomen.

By the end of the five-week program, participants graduated as BOLI-certified pre-apprentices, and also had OSHA 10, CPR, First Aid, and Forklift certifications. A certification in Green Construction is also available to interested graduates through a two-day training with Earth Advantage.

Iliana Fontal, director of Programs and Strategic Impact, said that in addition to hands-on training, participants received financial support in the areas of transportation, rent assistance, utility payments, and glasses and personal care items.

Oregon Tradeswomen said the most unique element of the training is that program graduates are offered direct entry to the Oregon Laborer’s Apprenticeship program as well as immediate employment to bridge the gap between graduation and starting apprenticeship.

Training Coordinator Kate Hibbs said she is impressed by the drive and courage it takes for participants to seek out this opportunity.

“It is hard to switch careers, especially into an industry that historically hasn’t been accessible to women and gender minorities. The program is intensive and taking time off their current jobs to take this leap to try something new is commendable. I’m also impressed that often the participants want to get into the trades so they can serve their communities with their skills, in addition to being able to provide for themselves and their families.”

Ina Avendano Howe, employment case manager, said she admires their determination to change their circumstances. “One gal was working on getting her GED, raising a child and attending our class. One felt there were not enough trades people on the reservation and wanted to be an electrician to give back,” she said.

“Most were juggling challenges with family such as cycle of poverty issues, could barely afford their expenses, and yet showed up, did their best and graduated,” Howe added. “While participants had many barriers, they were resourceful with transportation, reaching out to family and friends for support. One individual recently struggled with addiction and overcame her challenges with support from our team and getting support from the community.”

Rural communities often lack access to career exploration and training programs that lead to family-supporting wages. In partnership, Oregon Tradeswomen and the Oregon Laborer’s Training and Apprenticeship are working to bring more career education and trainings to the communities that need them and are striving to expand further across the state.

“In 2023, we are planning to host one class outside of Portland. We are strategically looking at central, eastern and southern Oregon areas to decide what the next location will be,” Fontal said, adding the plan is to host three to four rural cohorts before the end of June 2025. “We have created a local community partner group and convened area apprenticeship programs to create direct or preferred entry opportunities.”

Mary Ann Naylor, communications and marketing director, invited anyone interested in the pre-apprenticeship training to visit Oregon Tradeswomen’s website and sign up to be notified when schedule updates and open enrollment are announced.