Woman in Construction Career Night - February 24, 2015

An event designed to get women to apply for apprenticeships in the construction trades will be Tuesday evening.

The career night, sponsored by the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council Tradeswomen Committee, is scheduled for 6-7:30 p.m. at 980 Keynote Circle, Brooklyn Heights.

Doreen Cannon, chairwoman of the committee and president of Plumbers Union Local 55, said the event is being held in an attempt to increase the number of women in the construction trades. She said the number of women in the trades in Northeast Ohio is about what it is nationally - less than 3 percent.

"Those have been about the same numbers for the past 30 years," Cannon said.

She said part of the reason she believes the number of woman in the trades is so low is because there haven't been many effective efforts designed to encourage their participation. The recently formed Tradeswomen Committee is focused on using education, outreach and mentoring to attract and retain women in the trades,' she said.

"A lot of women don't think of this," Cannon said of a career as a tradeswoman. "They can't even picture themselves doing this. But when they can come to an event like this, and actually meet these tradeswomen -- who have been doing this for 15, 20 or more years -- they will be able to kind of picture themselves through them.

"They will be able to say, 'Oh yes, I could do that. They did that, so I could do it too,''' Cannon said.

She said apprenticeships, which include on-the-job training as well as classroom instruction, usually last from three to five years, depending on the trade. Cannon said out-of-pocket costs associated with such programs are usually minimal.

"Once you get into an apprenticeship, you earn while you learn," she said. "You get union-sponsored benefits, equal wages, annuities, pensions and medical insurance."

Cannon entered the plumbers' union apprenticeship program 17 years ago. She said choosing such a career was natural. Her father had a knack for fixing things, and she took after him.

"My father thought it was the greatest thing in the world, and so did my mother," she said of her parents' reaction to her deciding to become an apprentice. "My 5-year-old son thought it was pretty funny that his mother used to come home from work dirtier that he did playing out in the yard."

Many women don't have such exposure and support. The Tradeswomen Committee hopes to help in providing both. Cannon said the committee held a similar event in September.

"We had quite a few apply for apprenticeships across the board," she said of September's attendees. "I am pretty sure quite a few will get in."

Apprenticeship programs for the following unions will be at Tuesday's event:

• Carpenters Local 435
• Carpenters Local 373
• Cement Masons Local 404
• Ironworkers Local 17
• Painters and Allied Trades District 6
• Pipefitters Local 120
• Plumbers Local 55
• Roofers and Waterproofers Local 44
• Sheet Metal Workers Local 33
• IBEW (Electricians) Local 38

For more information about the event, call (216) 459-2900.