COLUMBUS, Ohio—The number of women in union apprenticeship programs increased by 96% from 2016
to 2017, the Affiliated Construction Trades (ACT) Ohio announced Mar. 28. In 2017, the group said, 460 of the 9,044 people enrolled in its Joint Apprenticeship Training programs were female, up from 262 of 8,730 the previous year. The programs are a collaboration between contractors and the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council. “Both at the local level and here at the state level, we are doing a better job of explaining that those opportunities are available to any person who is willing to work hard,” ACT Ohio executive director Matt Szollosi said in a statement. “Women need to understand that we can do the same work, we just do it differently,” said Stacie Alexander, a first-year apprentice with Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 189. “It can seem intimidating, but it is all about safety. This is good work for women.” At her old office job, she said, “there was no job satisfaction,” and “I wasn’t making a livable wage and I definitely wasn’t able to have the lifestyle that I wanted for my kids.” Read more
